


snapshots

by onemorepineapple



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blank Period, Canon Universe, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Humor, I did this instead of my homework, Love, No Beta, Photography, Post-Canon, Romance, Social Media, Some angst, Stalking, We Die Like Men, We now have some sexy times, also firefighter sasuke, because we all thirsty for that, but like light stalking, dating apps, like just a little
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:42:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 32,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26674582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onemorepineapple/pseuds/onemorepineapple
Summary: A series of one-shots (short or longish) featuring Sakura and Sasuke involving photography, pictures, images, paintings, etc.Newest 03/05- moral-ishThis is wrong. This is so morally, undeniably inappropriate and wrong. But she’s frozen. Unable to move, breathe, blink as she takes in the image before her. The image that should be her because it’s her mirror but apparently it’s one of those weird two-way mirrors and instead of seeing her reflection she’s seeing— she’s—He strips off his shirt and her mouth dries faster than a water droplet in the desert.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 193
Kudos: 270





	1. model-ish

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. What I do own is an extensive collection of pineapples.

model _ish_

The milky white substance filling the tub is daunting. Cherry blossom petals sit in a bag next to the pearl white bathtub and she resists the urge to roll her eyes. All she has to do is get enough pictures taken to fulfill the stupid catalogue, not so aptly named _The Innocence of the Cherry Blossom_ , and then she can move on with her life and pray no one she knows or works with (aside from the old hag who got her in this mess in the first place) has any sort of association with the famed photographer and the… sensitive nature of his work.

Right.

Let’s get after it then.

Before she can remove the robe hiding her partially nude body (after two days and several threats they settled on partial as opposed to full or no nudity at all), said photographer catches her attention.

“Ah, Sakura! Before you begin, I want to introduce you to one of my best workers. Sasuke, this is Sakura, our star for the new catalogue.”

Her green eyes move away from the loud, older man to the younger male standing next to him. After a moment of complete and utter _nothing_ , she thinks that surely he has to be a model but then she sees the camera hung around his neck. Dark coal eyes drop from hers and she swears he leaves a trail of fire over every inch of her skin with his lingering gaze.

She’s suddenly thankful for the massive amount of blush the makeup artists caked on her cheeks because her face feels _hot_. Jiraiya boasts out something that she can’t quite hear through the pounding of her heart and he leaves them. She takes in the silence by counting her rapid heartbeats.

“ _Sakura_ , is it?” There’s a hint of amusement in his deep timbre of a voice that almost distracts her from how her name sounds.

Forming words are difficult and she can’t seem to remember how to breathe, so she merely nods.

“Take off your robe. I promise not to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.” If the tilt of his lips and darkening of his eyes tells her anything, it’s that there’s another message hidden in those words.

The bitter cold of the opaque water is a welcome distraction as his hand curls over hers to help her into the bathtub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> Feel free to leave any ideas (take what you will with the prompt of images; flyers, paintings, screenshot, etc). And if you want to see any drabbles continued! 
> 
> Reviews are appreciated!! Constructive criticism will be partially accepted after a bottle of wine and a pint of ice cream.
> 
> Thank you for your time!


	2. dating-ish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. What I do own is a trashbag full of York Peppy Patty wrappers.

dating _ish (_ part one)

The familiar (yet unfamiliar because he hasn’t heard it in months) ting coming from his phone makes him pause in his studying. The notification alerts him of a message on the dating app Naruto forcefully downloaded and he debates whether or not to check it. When the idiot first installed it, his phone was constantly pinging with messages and requests. After a week, he took his photo off and everything went quiet. So quiet, he even forgot he has it downloaded in the first place. He ignores his phone for a while, but curiosity gets the best of him.

_H. Sakura: I noticed you don’t have a photo on your profile. My hypothesis is that you are either really, really attractive or really, very ugly. Which is it?_

Hn. He clicks on her profile and almost smirks. She doesn’t have a photo either. He doesn’t hesitate to reply.

_U. Sasuke: You don’t have one, either. So which is it for you?_

_H. Sakura: Oh, well, my forehead is quite large you see. It’s a huge (hehe) turn off so I figured it would be best to go for mystery and bag them with my intellect first. Then once they’re hooked, they’re stuck with me and my giant brow._

He’s sure the image that’s conjuring in his mind is exaggerated and unlikely.

_U. Sasuke: So you’re going for the whole mind over beauty trope?_

_H._ _Sakura: Sure am. Isn’t that what you’re going for?_

_U. S_ _asuke: I’m not really going for anything. My annoying roommate made me download this stupid app._

_H._ _Sakura: So did mine!! Said something about how I’ll die alone because all I do is study and never want to go to parties and have fun._

Before he can reply, she sends another response.

_H. Sakura: How about this. We get to know each other and see where it goes, but we don’t meet in person, we don’t send pics of ourselves, and we don’t stalk each other on socials. Not for the first month at least._

Again, he doesn’t hesitate.

_U. Sasuke: Sure. And I don’t have any socials other than this so that’s not a problem._

_H. Sakura: Great! Going to ignore the somewhat psychotic inclination of zero socials… So what’s your major?_

He spends the next three hours chatting with her and exchanging information. She’s majoring in biology with a minor in toxicology and runs track. She spends most of her time in her apartment or the library and has been best friends with her roommate since grade school, much like him and Naruto. They discuss almost everything from their favorite color to their favorite foods to debating if their roommates are in fact, the same person because they’re blonde, loud, and nosy.

When she bids him a good night because she has an early class, he thinks maybe this dating app won’t be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one has two more parts to it.


	3. separated-ish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Still don't own. I do own a Roomba. Best purchase ever.

separated _ish_

Every nerve in her body is tingling with apprehension and she swallows for the fiftieth time as she walks slowly around the exhibit. Ino’s call the other day came as a shock to her system and she still hasn’t felt like she’s recovered from the news that was shared. Anxious green eyes take in all the works of art surrounding her, suspended on sleek grey walls, until she finds the pieces she’s been looking for.

His name glares at her from the small plaque angled before the canvases placed artistically along the wall. _Uchiha Sasuke_. Briefly, she closes her eyes as memories begin to haunt her and she has to take several deep breaths before they’re willed away. Her heart hammers like a tattoo against her chest as she takes in the photographs with the wonderment of a child.

He was always better at expressing emotions through actions than anything else. The pictures before her shine with thoughts and feelings she knows he will never be able to express in any other way. The majority of his artworks are in black and white and she takes a long moment to study each and every aspect of the photos. One picture focuses on a stray cat sitting in the middle of a busy street with faceless people holding umbrellas. The title reads _Wasuremono,_ forgotten and left behind. The meaning behind the image hurts and she moves on trying to ignore the pang hitting her heart.

Then, she stops breathing and the world around her is drowned out.

It’s the only photo with color and then, it’s just two. Pink and green. The sting of tears prickles the corner of her eyes as she stares at the image of herself. She’s clutching a piece of paper in her hands, eyes glistening with unshed tears, and she has the biggest smile on her face. It’s a letter from Konoha University’s Medical Department informing her that she will be accepted as a student and as the apprentice of the talented Chief of Medicine, Senju Tsunade. Her dream. Her hard work finally paying off and all of the emotions she felt, the happiness, the relief, are staring back at her and she’s experiencing that day all over again. The day that was supposed to start -but instead ended- everything.

The title tears her apart. _Mankai_ , a cherry blossom in full bloom.

She’s trembling and the tears are falling and she wants to be _so angry_ because he _left._ _He_ fucking _left her_ and she’s spent the last five years trying so hard to forget him, thinking he’s done just that because he never calls, never texts, and has all but vanished leaving her with nothing but haunted memories. And yet here she is, standing in an art gallery staring at an image of herself that speaks louder than words in an obvious declaration.

“Sakura.”

She chokes back a sob as she turns to look at the man who broke her heart. The man she wishes she could hate but can’t find the will to.

His impossibly dark eyes that she spent so much time staring into are filled with anguish and there’s a tremble in the breath he emits as his mouth opens, the closes.

They stare at each other for a long moment, heedless to the crowd, to the noise, to anything around them, focusing only on each other.

She spent a long time wondering what would happen in this exact moment. Would she yell (so much of her wants to)? Would he ignore her (like he did the first year he went away before she finally gave up)? Would she cry (check)? Would he (too much pride)? Does he care at all about her still (if the picture she’s standing in front of is any indication…)?

His shoulders slump and his fists are clenching as he closes his eyes, and then reopens them and there’s so much to see in them. “Sakura, I-“ The muscles in his jaw jumps and his knuckles are white, “I’m sorry… for everything.” He takes a hesitant step forward and she’s engulfed with his familiar scent and warmth that forever lingers in her dreams.

He’s here. He’s back. Five long years working on their dreams, their goals, and he comes back to Konoha with a picture that leaves her no longer wondering where his mind has been. She feels breathless. Any thoughts of anger diminish and she feels lighter than she has in years.

The tears fall harder and she begins to wipe them away as she sobs and chokes out, a small smile forming on her lips, “You’re such an idiot.”


	4. dating-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters but I do own the clothes I'm wearing.

dating _ish_ (part 2)

It’s been almost two months since he’s started talking with Sakura. Even though they’re both busy with school and she has track meets while he has soccer tournaments, they spend every free moment texting back and forth. They used the app for the first couple of weeks, but then exchanged phone numbers. They’ll send pictures of everything but themselves: what they’re studying, what they see, food ( _…Just a tomato? Like… By itself, with no salt? That’s… kinda gross_ , _Sasuke_ ); anything and everything. They’ve talked on the phone once (too briefly if he were honest) and she labeled it their first date. She’s intelligent, funny, dedicated, has an occasional angry outburst and he’s most definitely falling for her.

“What if she’s ugly? What if she has like… buck teeth? Or fish lips? What if it’s secretly one of your high school stalkers?” Naruto asks him one day, pestering him endlessly.

He merely shrugs and replies to her text. He wonders if he should be worried that she might not be pretty, but she’s so… genuine and her personality is attractive enough for him that he finds he doesn’t care what she looks like.

His indifference is tested two days later.

“Sakura! My lovely blossom of youth!”

Every bone in his body tenses and he finds himself staring in the direction of a guy with an ugly ass bowl cut in a weirdly tight, green tracksuit. He feels his heart rate pick up and all of Naruto’s questions come crashing down on him in the form of insecurities, need to knows, and _she’s so close, just one glance to the left and he’ll know_. He catches himself before he’s fully turned and whips his body around in the opposite direction of the guy is heading towards and bolts.

Later that night, he calls her.

_“Oh, our second date so soon? I wish you would have given me enough time to prepare,”_ Her voice is light, teasing, and he wants to hear more.

They chat a little about upcoming exams, their roommates ( _Are we sure we don’t have the same roommate?)_ , and then he takes a deep breath.

“Were you at the café earlier? Around three?”

_“…Yes, I was. Why?”_

“I heard some guy call out your name followed by a ‘lovely blossom of youth’ or some shit…”

She laughs and his heart soars. _“Jealous, Sasuke?”_

“Tch. Not likely. Hard to be jealous of a haircut like that.”

_“Lee’s a good guy! He’s my team captain, although… I will admit he’s very… err, eccentric. He gets it from our coach and- wait.”_ There’s a small pause. _“You saw him? Did you… did you see me?”_ She sounds a little worried.

He takes another deep breath. “No… I- I was tempted to, though. I just saw him and the direction he went.”

There’s a small sigh of relief (or maybe disappointment?) on the other end. _“Oh, okay.”_

It’s silent for a moment and he hears her tapping the keys on her laptop.

_“Are we… I mean… It’s been two months. Ino’s been hounding me for weeks and thinks I’m making you up. Should- Ah, should we meet up?”_

The thought frightens him more than anything and his palms start to get sweaty. He’s never been insecure (too much Uchiha pride) but somehow, he feels unsure of how she’ll respond to him in person.

“Maybe… we wait just a little longer.”

There’s another sigh (he’s sure it’s relief this time). _“Okay. Sounds good.”_ He hears a loud knock and a ‘ _forehead!_ ’ in the background. This time her sigh is exasperated. _“Just a second, Sasuke-_ “ another loud knock, _“What pig!”_ He snorts at the nickname for her roommate and tries to make out the mumbling in the background. _“Ugh, sorry but it looks like we’ll have to end our date. Ino needs girl time apparently. Uhm…”_

The question she wants to ask isn’t hard to figure out and he finds himself smiling. “How about we have our third date on Wednesday?”

_“Okay. Goodnight, Sasuke.”_ He can hear the smile in her voice and he’s never been a patient man but he thinks he’ll have all the patience in the world for her.

“Goodnight, Sakura.”

He’ll see her soon enough.


	5. stalker-ish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. I do own two kittens.

stalker _ish_

“Oh! He’s hot!”

Sakura lets out a squawk and nearly falls off the couch. Her roommate laughs and moves around to sit next to her, pointing to the image on the laptop.

“Who is that?”

With a furious blush, she clicks on the next image and mutters, “I don’t know...”

There’s a long, overdramatic gasp. “Forehead, are you telling me you don’t know who you took a picture of?”

This conversation is not going to end well for her. Sakura shakes her head and continues to scroll through the set of pictures she’s taken over the course of her first semester. She’s beginning to see a pattern and the sly grin Ino gives her tells her she sees it too.

“I didn’t realize you were a stalker, forehead.”

“I’m not a stalker, pig!” Could her face be any redder? She feels mortified.

“Oh? Then how do you explain all these photos that have him in it? I mean, damn he’s hot as hell, not like I blame you, but still.”

It starts as an accident... but then she starts to see him almost every time she’s out with her camera. They frequent the same places; the library, the art building, the cafe, and there was the one time she saw him at a frat party Ino forced her to attend. He’s just so... photogenic. And she thinks that if she takes enough photos, she’ll fit all the pieces of him together like a puzzle.

She swears she’s not a stalker.

“Honestly, I’m glad that you’re you know... showing interest in something other than your studies. I was starting to worry.”

Ino promptly receives a pillow to the face.

* * *

She’s heard stories of Kakashi-sensei. Stories that say he’s constantly late, likes to read porn, like to photograph porn, and is a difficult grader. Rare is the day that someone passes his class with higher than a B-. So needless to say she’s nervous as hell. It’s only her second semester and the only thing he tells them before the first day of class is to make sure they bring their cameras.

Each desk has a blank envelope. Curious, but she shrugs it off and chooses a seat closer to the front. Students mutter around her and she makes small chat with someone she had a class with last semester. When the students become too impatient and get ready to leave, that’s when Kakashi-sensei makes his appearance.

“Yo!” He holds up to fingers to his forehead and waves. An orange book is tucked under his arm and there’s a camera dangling from his neck. “I’m Hatake Kakashi and you know what class this is. I asked all of you to bring your cameras and as you can see on your desk, there’s an envelope. I want you all to write your names on it and take out your SD card. My TA and I will go through each of your photos and determine the level of competency you are at.”

Some students groan. Sakura feels slightly sick to her stomach. There are a lot of personal photos on her camera... but she supposes she took a picture of the subjects for a reason. Willing herself some resolve she clicks out her chip and precedes to do as instructed.

“Sasuke, stand up. That’s my TA, know his face because he’ll be the one you’ll need to find if you have questions about the assignments. Hand him your envelope and then you’re all dismissed for the day.”

That would be quite generous of him... if he wasn’t almost thirty minutes late. The shuffling of students getting ready to leave fill the room and she turns to look back at the TA and her heart stops.

It’s him.

She sends a wide-eyed look at the envelope in her hands. She never removed his pictures. She meant to when she went through the card. But then... Ino and movies. One by one the students disappear from the room and she’s one of five students left in the room. Her breath is ragged and her heart skips eight beats at once. There’s no way out of this. There’s no turning back. She knows her face is as red as her knit beanie.

As calmly as she can, she slides the envelope down with the others and meets obsidian eyes. Oh _shitshitshit_. Swallowing, she musters a strained smile and whips around, rushing out of the room.

She’s doomed.

* * *

Sakura’s never dreaded something more in her life. And that’s saying something considering she was bullied every day during grade school. She thinks she might prefer to be bullied again over the mortification that the TA of her class knows she basically, kind of sort, but not really stalked him.

She wants to scream.

Nervously, she sits in her seat. The student she chatted with the other day does little to distract from the embarrassment she’s about to experience. After all the students pile in, she watches as Sasuke stops in front of the desk, hands in the pockets of his dark slacks (she tries very hard not to stare at the obvious outline of an obviously _tight_ ass). He peers around the room, an aloof expression on his face.

“Some of you are clearly not made for photography.”

Yikes.

He sighs. “But it’s my job to make sure you at least learn enough to be passable. I have your cards ready to return, when I call your name, please come get it.”

If she could disappear in a puff of smoke or get swallowed by a large crater in the ground, she would. She jumps when she hears “Haruno” and quickly gets up, careful not to trip over her wobbly legs and feet that want to move like her shoes are filled with cement. Her eyes are on the envelope and she reaches delicately to grab it.

It was quiet and she almost thinks she dreams it but then she looks up and meets his eyes and sees the small smirk on his face... she definitely wishes she had just dreamt it.

“You have a good eye, Haruno.”

She lets out a high-pitched and squeaky, “Thank you, senpai,” and rushes back to her desk.

After everyone was called, he turned on the projector and brought up a PowerPoint. “You’ll be assigned partners for the remainder of this course. I suggest you exchange information in order to properly keep up with the assignments. Kakashi likes to pile homework despite being too lazy to grade them.” He sounds a little bitter. “In your envelopes is the name of your partner.” There’s a pause. “It seems this semester we have an odd number, so one lucky person gets to be partnered with me.”

The gasps and giggles of the girls in the class make her roll her eyes slightly. They whisper to one another and she listens as many sigh in disappointment.

The student next to her leans in and asks, “Hey, Sak, who’d you get?”

It feels like someone is burning a hole into her skull. She refuses to look up. Swallowing, she pulls out the slip of paper.

_Uchiha Sasuke._

Green eyes snap up. His lips tilt up just slightly before he turns away and begins the lecture.

“Ooh, good luck Sak. If he’s anything like Kakashi-sensei, he’ll probably be difficult and hard to please.”

There’s a feeling of impending doom looming over her and she gets the feeling it won’t take much to please him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stalker!Sakura is the cutest.


	6. dating-ish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Itachi would have had the happiest ending. 
> 
> This is the longest drabble by far and will conclude datingish!

dating _ish_ (part 3)

Two weeks have passed since they’ve last spoken. Two _fucking_ weeks that feel like _years_. Four months since they first messaged each other. They’ve tried a grand total of five times to meet up but something always interferes: studies, her track, his soccer, the fucking weather. They rarely ever argue, most of the time it’s intellectual debate but two weeks ago… He was still in it, despite his patience starting to wear thin. Despite feeling frustrated that they couldn’t even find the time to meet up for coffee and tea for one hour.

The fifth time they tried to meet up brought out those frustrations. Sakura called and sounded like she was on the verge of tears as she told him their track meet was extended. Which meant she wouldn’t be able to make their date. The date they’d had planned for three weeks, to give enough time for variables such as that. Then, he said some shit and she said some shit and her insecurities were laid out and his uncertainties came to light.

_“We barely have time to even meet up for an hour, Sakura-“_

_“So you’re just giving up?” Her voice rises in anger._

_“I’m being realistic! You’re the one who can’t seem to find the time to actually meet up. Out of all the dates we’ve set, I’ve cancelled a total of_ one _.” Insecurity is not a good look for him._

_“Great, so this is my fault? I’m sorry that I’m trying to make sure my scholarship stays intact and keep my grades up! Without track, I’d have less time for anything because then I’d have to get a job! We don’t all have rich parents who pay for every fucking thing, Sasuke!”_

_His teeth are grinding and he hammers the nail in the coffin because he can’t take it anymore. “It’s not like we’re in an actual relationship. We haven’t fucking seen each other, so stopping the conversation will be the easiest thing for us.”_

_There’s a long pause._

_“Are-Are you fucking serious, Sasuke? Just because we haven’t seen each other doesn’t mean this isn’t a real relationship! I-“ He hears knocking and he hears exasperated mumbles. “Dammit, I have to go, Gai-sensei wants to have a meeting. Sasuke-“_

_“Don’t bother, Sakura. I understand your studies are important and far be it for me to get in the way of that.”_

_He hangs up before she can say anything else._

“You’re brooding again, Sasuke,” his older brother sighs out.

“Tch.” He moves to chop the tomatoes and tries not to look at his phone for the thousand and nth time since he’s arrived back at home for the winter break. Then his phone dings and he sighs and leans to look at his phone sitting on the counter, figuring it to be Naruto ( _fuck dude just talk to her already, I’m sick of your emo shit_ ).

_Sakura- 1 new message._

“Shit! Fuck!” He almost cuts a finger.

“Tsk, Sasuke. Mother would be disappointed to hear those words.”

He shoots his brother a dirty glare and opens his phone. It’s a picture. He stares at it, confused. A picture of a house.

“Hm, that’s our house.” His brother peers over his shoulder and he jumps away, startled away from the intensity of staring at the photo.

“Dammit, Itachi! Mind your fucking business!”

The older Uchiha merely shoots him an amused look and resumes preparing dinner. His mother, Mikoto, strolls into the kitchen with a large smile and several bags of groceries.

“Sasuke dear, there’s this lovely young woman outside who says she’s waiting for you to go out and see her. She appears to be a little upset, though.”

He swallows. She’s here. _She’s here! At this house?!_ Two sets of eyes stare at him, waiting, and patient.

“Should we invite her in, mother? It’s rather cold out and it’ll start snowing soon.”

“No!” He winces at the high-pitch of his shout and the look his mother gives him. “I mean… I- I’ll invite her in.”

His heart is hammering loudly in his chest and he passes the mirror in the hallway, grimacing at the dark circles under his eyes. He can count on one hand the hours of sleep he’s gotten since the last conversation. What is she doing here? More importantly, how did she find out where he lives? More importantly, he’s about to actually physically _see_ the girl he’s half in love with and he has _absolutely no fucking idea what to do or say._ A sweaty palm hovers at the door and he takes several deep breaths before sliding it open.

Looking left and right and frontwards, he blinks in confusion and furrows his brows. Where is she? He pads softly around the patio and freezes when he reaches the porch swing.

He can see her breath suck in as she stares at him with wide, green eyes swollen and rimmed in red and glistening with unshed tears. Her cheeks and nose are patchy and flushed and he’s unsure whether it’s from the brisk cold air, crying, or seeing him, or all of the above. Pink hair curls around her face beneath a red beanie adding a stark contrast against her pale complexion. Her lips are plump, chapped, and trembling.

She’s the most beautiful fucking thing he’s ever seen.

Bright green _like the purest emerald_ eyes blink and tears begin to fall and then he takes one, two, three steps and sears his lips to hers. There’s a surprised squeak that he silences by gripping one hand on her beanie, pulling it down so he can tangle his fingers in her hair, while the other he wraps around her waist. It takes her a moment before she rises up and wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him further into her. Slowly and shyly, her mouth opens and the moment their tongues meet he sees stars and _burns_. She tastes sweet and he hates sweet things but he’ll be happy to taste her for the rest of his life. Sharp nails scrape the nape of his neck and he groans, moving forward and effectively pins her between him and the railing. The movement causes her to dip back slightly and their bodies mold closer together.

They break apart for air and their breaths puff around each other from the cold air. Eyes darkened to an impossible black stare into her hooded and glazed green orbs. He traces the hand that held her head over her face and cups her cheek.

It feels like an eternity passes before she breaks the silence. “I’m so sorry, Sasuke… I-“ He shakes his head and she puts a finger to his lips. “No, let me finish. I… The day we were supposed to go out, the day of the track qualifier, I was an absolute wreck and Ino saw fit to, er, enlighten me and tell me that my priorities needed to change.” She sighs and closes her eyes as if to contemplate her next words. When they open, they’re filled with warmth and shimmering with tears. “I talked to Gai-sensei and there’s a way for me to keep my scholarship without being so involved with track.”

Sasuke blinks. “What? Sakura, no, you love track-“

“Sasuke, let me _finish_ ,” she huffs and he presses his lips together. “I do love track but… After our last conversation it became clear that I was doing too much. My studies have always been important to me and I’ve spent so long focusing on making sure I have the best grades so I can get into the best school and go study medicine at the best hospital…” She sighs. “Ino _enlightened_ me again and told me that I’ve neglected her and she can sort of deal with that, but what she couldn’t deal with was me neglecting the one good thing that actually made me happy and made me _live_ for something other than my studies.”

Tears are falling and he brings his other hand up to catch them, wiping them away. Her hands grasp his wrists and she gives him a smile that makes him feel breathless.

“Not talking to you has been the worst experience of my life. The four months we spent talking to each other… Dammit, I’m pretty sure I’m half in love with you, if not fully all the way in love with you.”

Their lips meet again in a soft, slow kiss that sends fire coursing through his veins. He pulls away and rests his forehead against hers (definitely over exaggerated just a little). “You’re so annoying, Sakura…”

She gasps and smacks his arm, but laughs and god he missed her so much.

“I missed you. So fucking much. And… I’m sorry for what I said…” All the tension he’s felt the last couple of weeks eases, and he’s light and breathless and _happy_.

They stand there, huddled together, staring at each other and he’s sure he’ll never get tired of looking at her. She brings a hand up and brushes away the bangs around his eyes, humming.

A brow rises. “What?”

She chews on her lower lip, trying to hide her growing grin. “It’s unfortunate…”

His eyes narrow. “What…”

Her grin breaks out. “Your face. You might need to wear a brown paper bag over it when we’re out in public.”

“Oh?”

“Mhmm.” Her arms wrap back around his neck. “With a face like that, I can see why you needed to remove your picture.”

“Tch.” The furious blush on her face tells him all he needs to know about what she thinks of his looks. Their noses brush together and he bumps her forehead. “What about you?”

“I think I already accomplished what I said I would. I caught you with my intellect. You’re stuck with me now.”

Before he can capture her lips again, a throat clears, Sakura lets out a light shriek and they jump apart. Itachi is standing just around the corner, a teacup rising to his smirking mouth.

“Would your girlfriend like some tea, Sasuke?”

“For fuck’s sake, Itachi,” he growls out. How long has he been out here! He can feel his ears and neck burning.

Sakura bows slightly and says, “G-green tea would be nice, thank you.”

Humming, he turns before sending a pointed look back over his shoulder. “Are you going to invite her in? Mother has been waiting.”

Groaning, he watches his brother go back into the house before turning to Sakura. She holds out her hand and he intertwines their fingers together, leading into his home. He pauses in the threshold.

“How did you know where I live?”

Her laughter is the softest melody that vibrates through his bones. “I got it from Naruto. _Apparently_ our roommates are ah, _acquainted_ with one another.”

Snorting and shaking his head, he grips her hand tighter and pulls her in and thinks that the app wasn’t such a waste after all.


	7. stolen-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by an episode of New Girl!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto or New Girl. I don’t even own the Netflix account I’ve been using to binge watch New Girl the past two months.

stolen _ish _

There’s a picture of her cat on a flyer. Confused, she stares at the paper hanging on the resident bulletin board . Why is her cat on a missing pet poster? It’s a very simple flyer, short and to the point. The photo of her cat is enlarged and you can see the black and orange markings she has on her back mixed with her white fur. Eyes narrowed, she snatches the paper off the board and smashes the elevator button.

Someone has a weird sense of humor.

They live on the same floor she does and then, it’s five doors down.  _36G_ marks the wide oak door and she knocks twice, impatiently tapping her foot. The door slides open and she refuses to be distracted by the tall, hot male who is staring impassively at her.

She holds up the flyer to his face. “Why do you have a picture of my cat on a missing poster?”

Onyx eyes blink before he peers over the paper at her. “That’s my cat. Are you saying you stole my cat?”

“Wha- No! I didn’t steal your cat, she’s mine! I even have proof on my phone!” She crumbles the paper in her hand as she reaches in her purse for her phone. It takes a moment to swipe through her photos (damn, her and Ino take a lot of selfies) before she finds a picture (and a date from a couple of months ago!) to prove it is in fact, her cat.

He’s unimpressed. “All I’m seeing if proof that you’ve stolen my cat.”

Cheeks flushing, she stomps her foot (how old is she?). “I have not! She showed up on my balcony when I first moved here and she’s been staying with me since!”

“Hn.”

The hell does that mean?!

“Look buddy, I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish but she’s mine and I would appreciate it if you didn’t put up missing posters of her!”

He studies her for a long moment and she’s suddenly flushing from more than anger. Don’t fidget, don’t fidget. Do not show weakness.

“She showed up on your balcony when you moved?”

“...yes.”

“When did you move here?”

“Like six months ago.”

A moment of silence, then, “And she stayed with you the entire six months?”

Her mouth resembles a fish. “Uh well...” she thinks back on the past few months. “Well,no-actually... she disappears a lot, but I figured she just likes being outside... but! She’s been staying with me for a full month now!”

“Right, she’s been missing for a month.” He looks and sounds amused as he steps out of his apartment and shuts his door, crowding her bubble. She can feel the warmth radiating off of him and damn he smells  _good_. “I’m taking my cat back. Where do you live?”

“Wha- But!” Her groan is more like a frustrated shriek. She stomps (again, is she a child?) to her apartment  _31G_ and glares back at him as she fumbles for her keys. This won’t end well. For him. She states haughtily, “She doesn’t really like other people. My best friend comes over all the time and she usually just hisses or avoids coming out until she leaves.”

The door slides open to reveal her apartment and it is not the clean, organized space she wishes it were. She still has boxes she hasn’t had time to open. Once inside, she hears him shut the door and after she removes her purse she walks towards her couch and kneels.

She tsks for her cat. “Tomato, sweet kitty.” There’s a soft mow before the cat emerges from her bedroom. “Aw, there you are! Come here.”

The long-haired cat purrs loudly and rubs against her legs as she scratches her ears. Then, she moves behind her and- and he’s picking her up?!

What the hell!

She’s gaping again and stands up.

Tomato is a purring motor as he holds her to his chest and rubs her ears. There’s a small smile on his face and she will not be distracted by how freaking adorable this is.

“You call her Tomato?” His question startles her out of her distraction and he’s giving her a contemplative look.

“Uhm... yeah. She has this mark on her stomach-“ she goes to reach but he maneuvers the still purring cat and flips her over to reveal a small, dark orange spot that resembles said fruit.

He rubs the spot. “That’s her name.”

It’s beginning to seem like she did, in fact, steal this mans cat.

“I-I uh...” Is it really appropriate to apologize? She has been taking care of said cat. She decides to change directions. “How old is she?”

“She’s five. I found her when she was a kitten hiding under the garbage bin when I first moved here.”

Oh. He rescued her.

 _ Dammit_ .

Green eyes look longingly on the little fluff of fur that she’s grown accustomed to. “I guess she’s been moving in between our apartments. I didn’t mean to... I mean...” She blows out a sigh and walks over to grab the flyer, holding it out. “I found your cat?”

“Aa.” She finds it too endearing seeing him cuddle with the animal and there’s a growing puddle of drool on his chest as Tomato rubs her face against him.

She chews on her lip. “I’m Sakura, by the way.”

Obsidian eyes glance up. “Sasuke.” He looks around and a dark brow rises. “You said you moved here six months ago?”

Ahhh. Dammit. Her face flushes and she huffs. “I work long hours!”

“Hn.” Still holding Tomato, he moves to the front door and she slumps her shoulders. The thought of getting another cat for herself doesn’t seem very appealing. She supposes she can just live without a furry companion.

Sasuke turns to her and she straightens up. “She likes her freedom and to roam, which explains her going back and forth between us. I was gone for a while for my job, so that’s probably why she stuck with you longer than normal. Try not to keep her for a whole month next time.”

Her heart thumps. “O-okay.”

“Thank you for taking care of her.”

“Y-yeah.”

She has to tell herself that he cannot see through her very soul with his intense black eyes. He smirks. “I’ll see you around, Sakura.”

Once he leaves and she’s sure he’s back in his apartment, she lets out a squeal and immediately phones Ino. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two Torties. One of them yells at me until I pick her up, belly up, and coddle her. Her sister usually just sits on my chest and ruins my shirts with her puddles of drool.
> 
> Kitty loving Sasuke is cute, yeah? 
> 
> Thank you for your time!


	8. social-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jiraniku gave an idea for love at first sight so here ya go!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto. But I do own several cans of nasty White Claws that my fiancé still hasn’t drank.

social _ish_  
  


_ You have 1 new friend request on KonaChat! _

“Hey, Ino-pig, who’s... Sasuke?” The name sounds familiar.

The blonde whips her long hair off her shoulder. “Only like the hottest, richest guy in Konoha. I went to K Prep with him. Why?”

Sakura shrugs and sets her phone down. “He added me on KonaChat.”

Ino stares at her, gaping. “I’m sorry. Did you just say  Uchiha Sasuke added you on a social media?! I didn’t even know he had one!” Her phone is immediately in her hands and Sakura is sure she’s adding him to her insane list of friends.

“Calm down, pig. I thought you had a thing for Shikamaru?”

She scoffs. “Forehead, when someone like Uchiha Sasuke gets on social, you fucking follow that shit. I’ve been trying to get on that ass for  years . Shika will understand.”

Sakura picks up her phone and contemplates the request, before accepting it. If he’s as hot as Ino makes him out to be... There’s no harm in the eye candy. Although... “Why do you think he added me?”

Ino looks just as confused and doesn’t answer.

* * *

Sasuke glances over at just the right moment to see a video of a pink-haired woman, laughing and jumping. He leans over and sucks in a breath. “Dobe, who is that?”

“Eh?” His friend blinks and holds his phone up. “You mean Sakura-chan?” The next image that plays is her smiling with the Yamanaka girl who stalked him in high school.

_ Sakura. _

He clears his throat and shrugs. “Yeah, who is she?”

“I went to the Academy with her until I transferred to Prep.” A large grin spreads across his face and he waggles his brows. “Why? She is cute, I used to have a crush on her.”

“Tch,” he rolls his eyes and tries to play it cool. “I was just wondering. I noticed she’s with Yamanaka in a lot of her pics.”

Blue eyes glance at him, suspicious. “Yeah they’ve been friends since grade school. I’m actually surprised you two haven’t met yet, she hangs out with a lot of the same people as us.” A loud growl rumbles from Naruto’s stomach and he’s (thankfully) distracted from the current topic. He gets off the couch and stretches. “I’m starving, you ready to go eat teme?”

“Hn.”

As they walk to his car, he quickly makes a profile and adds her as a friend. Then adds a few more people to make it less suspicious.

“Oi, teme! Did you just create a KonaChat! And you haven’t added me yet!? The hell!”

He gets a notification from Ino moments later and sighs, remembering why he hates social media. But then he sees his request is accepted and his pulse pounds as he taps through her stories.

They arrive at Ichiraku’s shortly after and grab a seat at the bar. When he’s sure Naruto isn’t looking (too busy trying to figure out the five bowls he’s going to eat tonight), he opens KonaChat and sees there’s a new story next to Sakura’s name. He holds his finger down to stare at the image of her sitting on a park bench with a stick of dango in her hands. She’s smiling and her green eyes are sparkling.

Then he’s moving his finger down, hitting a small arrow button and it’s saved to his album. He’s not usually impulsive, he thinks things through. He doesn’t know why he does it, but he does. And then a message pops up  _ You’ve saved this picture!  _ and there’s an arrow next to her name like he sent her a message and _this is why impulsive decisions are bad._

His stomach drops and he’s not freaking out because Uchiha men do not  _freak out_ and maybe he has nothing to worry about. He clears his throat.

“Dobe, if I added a picture and someone saved it, would it notify me?” Innocent enough of a question.

“Sure would! Worried about your fan girls saving endless photos of you? It also tells you when someone takes a screenshot.”

_Fuck_.

* * *

_ Sasuke saved a picture of you! _

...

Uhm.

“I-Ino? Uh...” She holds up her phone to display the notification.

Ino gapes, shuts her mouth, then gapes some more.

“Should I be worried? Is he like, some kind of creeper?”

The blonde shakes her head. “No, definitely not... I would say it’s probably an accident but... He was the top of our class.” Her icy blue eyes glisten with mischief. “Well, I suppose if I have to lose to anyone, you’re the best person for that. Get on that ass, forehead.” 

* * *

Naruto is pounding his back as he chokes on the broth and noodles.

_I’d be happy to send you more pictures_.

When he can finally breath again, he takes a small sip of water. Only to begin choking again.

_ I’ll take requests. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whipped this little number out at work because no one knows my place of business exists anymore. Which is why we’re closing. RIP.
> 
> Also, Sakura finally gets the last laugh.


	9. return-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Canon-verse and Blank Period! I’ve been struggling to get a good idea for canon and this finally popped up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don’t own. I do own three laundry baskets that are filled with clean clothes while the dirty ones are stuck in a pile on my floor. You all feel me.

return _ish_

She’s asleep on her desk again. Stacks of paperwork that rival Kakashi’s are piled around her and there’s a pen, slack in between her fingers. The mental health clinic she’s been working on opened earlier this year and he knows she’s been swamped with more work than one person should be able to handle.

It’s been months since he’s been back and he knows she’s missed him. And he still has so much to repent for and so much he needs to learn but he’s finally at a place to be able to admit that he’s missed her, too. The letters she sends have gotten him through some tough moments. Moments he’s sure he’ll tell her about one day, but he’s not quite ready to yet.

A strand of pink hair falls from behind her ear and he reaches out to softly tuck it back. He snorts because she doesn’t even shift, a clear sign of how exhausted she is.

Since the war ended, the moments they’ve spent together have been few and far between. He’s been debating on bringing up something to her for a while now... he’s just not sure how to go about it. And of course, the fact that she’s so busy makes him hesitate even more. Sakura has a life here, friends, a family... everything he doesn’t.

He sighs and mismatched eyes take in her appearance, burning it into his memory because right now all he has is that. The image of her when he closes his eyes, when he dreams, and when he feels like redemption will never be possible. Her face, her eyes, her smile... He thinks he knows what he’s feeling but he’s still unsure if he can understand it.

He needs to leave soon. 

As he turns away from her sleeping form, something catches his eyes. He leans over the desk to peer at a piece of scrap paper with medical jargon and doodles. One particular doodle squeezes his insides and he feels his heart flutter.

An uchiwa. The Uchiha Clan symbol.  _His_ symbol. It’s drawn on the corner of her page following a scribble of her name and it’s even colored in. It’s sloppy, small but he can feel something crawl over his skin, igniting a fire in his veins, latching onto his heart as he regards the symbol she drew, making it clear that no matter how busy she is, he’s always on her mind.

He studies her one more time and all the trepidation he felt about his previous thoughts- they all fade away. He lingers just a little more, staring at her parted lips and listening to her steady breathing.

Next time he’ll ask her to come with him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya’llllllllll, blank period fics are my shit. Seriously, I can’t get enough of them. There’s so many good ones out there, too. Hopefully I did it justice with my little drabble.


	10. famous-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jiraniku also gave an idea for Sasuke being a fan of Sakura and this is what happened.

Re-posted as a separate entity! Feel free to hop on over if you're a little curious ;)


	11. famous-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Congrats! Ya'll get a part two. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

chapter two of famous-ish. Once again, re-posted as a now chaptered fic. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. Just sayyiinnnggg.


	12. haunt-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello October. Here's a probably not so creepy, creepy fic.

haunt _ish_

It’s alluring. The colors and brush strokes blend together so smoothly and it almost looks so _real_. The urge to touch it and outline every line and feature is overwhelming but she figures it wouldn’t be very appropriate, especially since the shop owner keeps staring at her with his lone eye. Ignoring him, she continues to take in every detail of the painting before her with critical green orbs.

The sky is painted with a vibrant mix of oranges, yellows, pinks and some purples. Trees are seen in the distance-dark green and black- behind the focal point of the portrait. Every leaf on the tree is detailed and she can see the toughness of the bark. What takes her breath away though, is the man leaning against the tree.

He’s beautiful. The angles of his face are defined sharply and she can almost imagine herself tracing a finger over his jaw. His mouth, painted with the slightest pink, is set in a firm manner. He’s not frowning, but... she thinks it’s almost pride she sees set in his features. 

His hair is painted the blackest shade and looks so soft and she can almost see each individual strand as it falls around him a rather messy, spikey manner. His skin is pale, but colored in a way that makes it seem he’s being illuminated by moonlight. His attire is a mixture of black and grey. A cloak is splayed out around him, revealing a grey vest over a black button up shirt. His pants are simple and black, tucked into open toed boots.

One leg is drawn up, an arm resting on his knee while his hand is clenched around a long, sharp sword and seems as if it’s surrounded by sparks, white, blue, and grey. However, the thing that she find most fascinating about him is his eyes. She has to lean closer to study them more but they’re so memorizing, she almost feels as if he’s looking back at her, intense and burning.

Curiously, they’re mismatched. Dark strands cover one eye, but with the way his head is tilted, she can see the color. Purple, almost like a lavender and- she has to lean in a little more- there’s no white in his eye, it’s all purple. There’s a shade of darker violet in the center (his pupil maybe?), but small dots and several circles surround it. Very, very curious. She looks at his other eye, more normal in appearance and a dark charcoal but she swears she can she a hint of red.

Truly, whoever painted this is brilliant.

She shifts on her feet and glances back at the man behind the counter, who is still regarding her with one droopy eye. A headband, holding up spikey silver hair, covers the other one and he’s wearing a mask that covers the majority of his face. With the way is his visible eye is crinkling she thinks he must be smiling.

The rest of the shop is filled with various trinkets, furniture, and paintings. When she first saw it, she thought maybe it was an antique shop but now she’s uncertain. It kind of just seems like a junk store. Her eyes trail back to the painting. It didn’t look like junk.

Resolving herself, she takes the few steps to stand in front of the counter and smiles at the owner. “Can you tell me anything about that painting?”

His eye crinkles further. “Hmm, I know it’s quite old.” He doesn’t elaborate.

Helpful. She resists the urge to roll her eyes. “Is he a samurai? I noticed his sword, but it doesn’t look like a katana.”

“Ah, yes, it’s a chokuto. Often referred to as Kusanagi,” he looks contemplative as he pauses. “Have you ever heard stories of shinobi?”

It’s hard to hold back her excitement. She has. Her friends call her a nerd because she spent so much time in the library reading all she could about how Konoha was founded and how ninjas existed thousands of years ago.

“So he’s a shinobi?” The lighting around his sword suddenly makes a little more sense. “Is that why his sword looks like it’s surrounded by lightning? I read about how they were able to use and manipulate chakra.”

The answer seems to please him and he leans forward. “Very good. I bet you were every teachers favorite student.”

She lets out a small laugh and tries to fight the small blush forming. “Well, I just like to read and the history of Konoha was always a fascinating subject.”

“So it is.”

They’re both looking back at the painting and she chews the inside of her cheek, debating on if she wants to buy it or not. If it’s too much, she won’t.

“How much for the painting?”

She watches the mask move as his lips curl in a smile.

* * *

The portrait barely fit in her car; she had to lay the entire backseat down but with the help of the owner, they were able to fit it securely in her trunk. It’s an equal struggle to get it out of her car with no help and by the time she gets it through the lobby of her apartment, through the elevator and through her front door and finally into the living room, she’s out of breath. The frame is kind of heavy.

Now, where to put it.

She makes some tea, reheats her leftovers, cleans her kitchen and sighs, still unsure of where it should go. Would it be weird to hang it in her bedroom? The spot above her bed is almost perfect for it. She has to move the smaller pictures of her friends and family around but there’s enough room.

It takes even more effort to get it hung, straight and secure on the nails. Flopping on the foot of her bed, she huffs and stares at it. It’s not weird.

Is it weird? It almost looks like he’s looking down at her.

She snorts and shakes her head. It’s just a painting. A painting she now owns. Smiling softly, she stands on her mattress and brings her fingers up to brush against the contours of his face, studying him. As she trails down to trace the sword, she swears she can feel the shock of lighting soaring through her fingertips. When she steps down to get ready for bed, it goes unnoticed when his dark charcoal eye slowly fades into a blood red marked with a black, mandala like design.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halloween got me in the mood for spooky things. Hope you enjoyed!


	13. ghost-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Been watching a lot of horror stuff and this popped up. Not that this is horror or anything. But ya know.

ghost _ish_

She’s ninety-five percent sure her place is haunted. The other five percent tells her she’s just working too much and being forgetful and it’s totally plausible and obviously more believable which is why she’s only ninety-five percent sure she’s being haunted. She stares at the cup (she’s _positive_ she placed in her sink before she left) that is sitting on her coffee table. It’s rinsed out (which she would have done when she put it in the sink). But it’s sitting on her coffee table. Like it does every damn day she comes back from work.

Except she’s _so sure_ she rinsed it off and put it in the _damn_ _sink_!

Her foot taps on the bamboo floor as she glares at the offending object.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she picks up the mug and gently (even though she just wants to watch it shatter into a million pieces but it’s also her favorite mug) places it in the sink. She’s overworked. She needs a vacation. Tsunade warned her about these long shifts and not having a break in between. Did she listen?

No.

And now she’s three weeks in and thinks her apartment is haunted.

With a long sigh, she turns on the shower and begins to strip off her scrubs. As she’s about to step in, a knock comes to her door and she thinks about ignoring it, but then another knock persists. Towel wrapped around her body, she stomps to the door and throws it open.

“Naruto, if you ask me _one more-_ “ She abruptly stops and grips her towel with white knuckles as she stares into the darkest charcoal eyes she’s ever seen. Then she blinks and onyx eyes are replaced with ocean blues. She really does need a vacation.

“Ne, Sakura-chan, I know you’ve been working a lot I just want to make sure you’re eating properly.”

Growling, she glares her blonde neighbor. “Ramen is not proper nutrition! And I already ate.” The look he gives her is of disbelief. “Ugh, fine. Look, I’m really tired and I just need some sleep tonight. I’ll go with you tomorrow, okay?”

“Great! It’s a date!”

“It’s not a date, Naruto!” He disappears down the hall and she groans.

* * *

Honestly, Naruto isn’t that bad of a guy. A little loud, a little obnoxious and a messy eater, but he’s a nice break from her hectic life. He has her in stitches as they ride the elevator to their floor and there are tears forming in her eyes. They arrive at her door and she invites him in for some tea (strictly friendly, he’s cute but she’s never been interested in blondes). She glares at the mug sitting on her coffee table and snatches it up.

“Hey Sakura-chan, can I use your bathroom for a sec?”

“Sure thing!”

Once the tea is ready, she sets out two mugs ( _not_ the damned haunted one) and she sits on her couch, waiting. After a few more minutes pass (definitely more than what’s socially acceptable to be in someone else’s bathroom) she gets up to knock on the door.

“Uh, Naruto? You… uh okay in there?”

“Fine, fine! Just too much ramen! Sorry!”

She scrunches her nose (that’s why it’ll never be a date, Naruto). As she’s about to walk back to her couch, she hears another voice. Is he talking on the phone with someone? Shaking her head, she flops back on her couch and sips on her tea, flipping through the channels on her TV.

Okay, now it’s officially past courtesy and diving straight into this man needs to get the hell out.

“Naruto! You better be dying otherwise this is going to be really awkward for the both of us.” She slides the door open and pokes her head into her bathroom.

Naruto is standing in front of her mirror, face sheepish, and she glances into her mirror and sees an image of a dark haired man that most certainly is _not_ Naruto (but his eyes are familiar?). Her head spins from going back and forth between the mirror and Naruto because there are two images in the mirror but only _one_ body in her bathroom and she’s starting to _freak out what the hell-_

“Ah! Sakura-chan, don’t freak out please! Take a deep breath!” He grabs her hands and leads her to sit on her toilet as she begins to hyperventilate and takes a peek back at the mirror and yep. There’s still an image of a man there, yet neither her nor Naruto are in the reflection.

She begins to feel dizzy and moves to place her head between her legs, trying to breathe in and out and in and out. Several moments pass and she slowly rises up to look into ocean blues. She does _not_ look into the mirror.

“I can explain.”

Sakura explodes. “You sure as hell better! What the actual _fuck_ Naruto! What is-“ she shouldn’t have glanced at the image. She should _not_ have glanced. Unable to be think properly, she storms out of her bathroom and stalks into her room, running a hand through her hair. She’s pacing back and forth as Naruto joins her.

“Sakura…”

“Explain. Now.”

With a sigh, he leans against the threshold of the door. “I’m a demon. The guy in the mirror is a demon. We’re both demons.”

She blinks. “Demons?”

“Demons.”

Deadpanned, “Demons.”

A nod. “Demons.” He continues as she continues to stare blankly at him, “His name is Sasuke and he’s been trapped in this apartment for two years. There was another demon involved and she was kind of spiteful and trapped him inside the mirror and we’ve been trying to figure out how to get him out since.”

…

A quick glance to her full-length mirror and she’s about to spiral. He’s sitting on her bed, except he’s _not_.

The blonde holds up his hands. “Please, Sakura-chan! I know this is a lot-“

“Yeah no shit!” Demons? _Demons?!_

“-But with your help we can figure it out!” Her look is incredulous and he winces. “Ever since you moved in, Sasuke’s been able to use some of his powers again and he can almost cross back into our world.”

She whips around to look at the reflection in the mirror. He’s calmly sitting on (the _reflection_ ) of her bed, studying her with obsidian eyes. Anger boils in her.

“You’ve been moving my mug, you asshole!”

A smirk curls on his face.

Naruto grins. “Ne, Sakura-chan. I figured you’d be more worried about him peeping on you than moving a mug. But that just means-“

She gapes and suddenly processes what Naruto just said. She’s had a… a not human male (demon… demon?!) basically living in her mirrors and… and… She lets out a scream as the smirk on his face turns devilish and she swears his eyes begin to burn red.

Smacking his forehead, Naruto tosses a glare at the mirror. “Really, teme?” With a sigh, he follows Sakura to her living room (that has zero mirrors!) where she is pacing and yelling and screaming and spiraling.

Sasuke sits calmly on the edge of the bed, listening to the dobe try to talk down the woman he’s been studying (spying sounds dirty and he may be a demon but he has _some_ principles) for the past six months. He thinks the moment he’s out of this fucking dimension, he’s going to enjoy _studying_ (it’s dirty this time) her some more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still working on famous-ish for those who are interested. I have a third chapter written out, just trying to get the ball rolling enough (I also have a 15-page paper and 30 minute presentation due in a few days so there's also that).
> 
> Let me know your thoughts! I think it's kinda cute lol and a kind of clever way to use images/pics with a reflection. Idk. Could just be talking out of my butt.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	14. stalker-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's a second part to stalker-ish (chapter 5 if ya need to go back and catch up).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It just kind of happened. Like most of these stories do. They just kind of pop in my head and a few hours later here we are (as my 15-page paper that's due real soon sits at 7 pages). :)
> 
> Also, there's a reference in here I don't own and if you catch it, we could be best friends.

stalker _ish_ (part 2)

“And then what happened…?” Hinata’s voice is soft as always and her face is as red as Sakura’s. She’s definitely feeling secondhand embarrassment.

She buries her face in her hands. “Class ended and I went up to him to exchange numbers… then he told me to meet him Saturday morning outside of the art building to begin our assignment. I just kind of bolted after so I wouldn’t humiliate myself further.” Her head flops on the table and she groans.

“It doesn’t sound that bad, forehead. If anything, he’s flirting with you.” Ino waves her chopsticks around as she continues, “Oh! I have the perfect outfit you can wear Saturday to-“

“No! Ino, it’s not a date! It’s an assignment for school and he’s basically my sensei.” Plus, god forbid, she shows up all cute and dolled up and he’s dressed casually and she feels even more like a fool. Ugh. She thumps her head on the table again.

“It’ll be okay, Sakura. Maybe… maybe he really does think you have a good eye and was talking about your other photos. You do have a lot of talent…”

She shoots Hinata a small smile. “Thanks Hina-chan…” At least she has one friend she can count on to not make fun of her. She directs a glare at Ino who’s scrutinizing her. “What, pig?”

“Will you at least let me trim your hair? Your split ends are making me cry and that way when he kisses you senseless, your hair will be soft and not feel like dried noodles.”

Sakura flings a piece of pork at her.

* * *

Butterflies feel too light of a word. It feels more like pterodactyls are tearing through her stomach. She’s been up since five, spent the better part of two hours throwing different outfits together to perfect the ‘I’m not trying to dress up but I’m also not a complete bum’ look and is still forty minutes early to their meeting. Fingers tap furiously on the cup of tea she ordered to pass the time (it only ended up being two minutes max because the café is dead on a Saturday morning since no university student in their right mind gets up before noon on the weekend).

Ugh.

She downs the last of her tea, tosses in the trash and proceeds to adjust her camera lens. She’ll just take some photos until he shows up and tells her what she needs to be looking for. Green eyes peer around the empty sidewalks and she thinks back to the lecture he gave. He had gone over positive and negative spaces and discussed minimalistic photography. She supposes it won’t hurt to focus on that while she waits and if it’s what he assigns, then she’s already ahead of the task.

She loses herself in the world around her as she clicks her camera and adjusts the lens to her liking for each photo she takes. A throat clearing startles her and she jumps, looking wide-eyed as her partner stops strolling a couple of feet away.

“Haruno,” he nods in greeting.

Sakura has to swallow a couple of times before she feels like she can talk without stuttering. “Hi, senpai.” Yeah, her face is red.

Onyx eyes glance at the camera in her hands. “What have you been photographing?”

She shifts on her legs, willing her nerves to calm down. “I remember you discussed positive and negative spaces, so I’ve been trying to focus on that.”

His lips twitch and he nods. “Mind if I take a look?”

A hum (just a little too high-pitched than her normal voice) emits from her throat and she removes the strap from around her neck, holding the camera out. Only he doesn’t take it. He steps forward until he’s so close she can feel the fabric of his hoodie on her arms and she can _smell_ him and damn he smells _good._ Hoping he can’t hear her heart pounding (because it’s all she hears _thumpthumpthumpthump_ ), she holds her camera in view enough for the both of them and clicks through the last several images she’s taken.

“Your use of lighting needs a little work, but overall it seems you have a good grasp on the compositions. Let’s take a walk and see if we can find some objects to utilize other than the trees and benches.”

He steps away and she feels like she can breathe again (although the warmth he radiated disappears and leaves her feeling chilly and she debates on untying her jacket from her waist and putting it on but then he directs his intense eyes to her for a second and she feels hot again). Soundlessly, she follows as he leads the way and nervously taps her fingers on her camera.

They reach one of the ponds and he stops walking, instructing her to take pictures. She watches as he brings his camera up to his eyes and desperately itches to focus her lens on him. He’s so _photogenic_. The way his brow furrows in concentration, the way his eyes narrow just a little and how his lashes flutter briefly against his cheeks… she almost groans (come on Sakura, quit being such a _stalker_ ). Sighing, she turns her back to him and begins to concentrate on the pond and the area surrounding it.

When they move on to a different pond, he steps close and his hand hovers over the one that’s holding her camera (she swears she feels sparks). “Tilt your camera a little more to create shadows. That’ll help with your negative spaces.”

She thinks she might pass out he’s so _close_.

He shows her a couple of the photos he’s taken and she feels blown away (he's _good_ her eyes are drawn to exactly where he wants in the images). “See this one? You have a similar photo but your use of lighting and the angle is off just enough to pull focus towards positive than negative space.”

They spend a few moments going over their photos, what she can do to improve and as they walk towards a different area she thinks having him as her partner won’t be so bad. She just has to get a hold of her nerves and stop smelling him and stop wanting to take his picture.

They’re in the middle of changing sceneries again (she’s almost sure they’ve gone through more than half of the campus at this point) when her phone starts blowing up. She ignores the texts until her phone starts vibrating from a call and she clicks it away as the screen reads _Ms Piggy_ and after the sixth time Ino calls her, she’s about to shut off her phone.

“You can get that,” he says, sounding a little amused.

“Uh, okay… sorry, just… yeah.” She walks ahead a bit before answering her phone and hisses, “Pig, what do you want!”

There’s a moment of silence before Ino responds, _“Bitch. I’m trying to make sure you aren’t dead in a ditch somewhere.”_

“You know where I am, why are you pestering me?”

 _“You’ve been gone for hours, forehead! The hell am I supposed to think? You’ve really been taking pictures for that long? Or…”_ There’s a gasp. _“Forehead, have you-“_

“No!” She sneaks a peek behind her to see Sasuke sorting through his camera and checks her watch. Sure enough, they’ve been out here for about three hours. She wonders if he realizes how much time had passed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it’s been that long. And I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be.”

_“So you don’t have any saucy details to give me?”_

“No,” she says through gritted teeth. “Now what do you _want_?”

A disappointed sigh, then, _“Movie night, forehead. What time?”_

She looks at her watch again. “Hmm… let’s do six- wait. Do we want to eat before or after?”

_“We can eat after if we go at six. Kiba said he’ll bring snacks and then we can try out that new restaurant.”_

Groaning, she puts a palm to her face. “Kiba’s coming? Ino, seriously? The last time he tagged along you spent the entire movie making out with him. I don’t want to deal with that shit again.” It wouldn’t be so bad if she knew Hinata would be there too, but she always has her family dinners on Saturday evenings. Ugh.

 _“Uh, I’m_ so _over Kiba. It’s strictly friendly, forehead.”_

“That’s exactly what you said last time, pig!” There’s a whine on the other end. “Augh, fine. But I’m not sitting next to you two.”

_“No! I need you to make sure I don’t make out with him!”_

“This is the exact conversation we had last time! I’m sitting away from you two so I don’t have to listen or see anything that’s going to give me more nightmares.” She can practically see Ino pouting. “No, pig. Final answer. Seriously, if you had as much willpower with Kiba as you do your freaking carb intake you wouldn’t have this problem.”

_“Foreheaaaadddd.”_

“If you really don’t want to mack on Kiba tonight you can drink some of that disgusting tea you’ve been making lately. Makes your breath smell like a dead fish.”

_“Fuck you! You’re my worst friend.”_

Laughing and smiling, she fiddles the lens cap on her camera and says, “Bitch, I’m your _best_ friend,” and hangs up. Ino proceeds to send her back-to-back texts until she finally ends her banter with a _love you and your giant ass forehead!_

When she turns, she almost jumps out of her skin. Sasuke is watching her with intense eyes and she can feel the heat rising to her face. Every time she thinks she’s just a little more comfortable and just a little less nervous in his presence, he looks at her and she just melts like butter on a hot day and forgets what the meaning of life is (42 in case you’re wondering). She mutters out an apology, feeling mortified that he overheard the conversation and turns her attention to her camera.

“We can probably call it a day... I didn't realize we've been out here for so long,” he studies her for a moment with an unreadable expression and she shifts on her feet. “Take a few of the photos with positive and negative space each and discuss how the compositions differ from the other. Kakashi usually likes the papers to be about seven to eight pages long, so that equates to about one page per picture.”

She figures as much and nods. “Thanks for the tips earlier.” A shaky smile forms on her lips and she kind of just wants to escape his gaze because the pterodactyls are back and she can smell him again because he somehow is closer and wait- when did he move?

“Aa.” Is she sweating? She feels like she might be sweating because it’s now a million degrees hotter and his eyes are just bearing down on her and he smells _so damn good_ and then he smirks and she just- “Enjoy your movie, Haruno.”

Yeah, she definitely feels mortified he overheard her conversation (Ino just brings out a certain side in her). Dammit. But she laughs and takes a few steps back so she can make her escape quickly and _breathe_. “Y-yeah. Have a good evening, senpai.”

* * *

Kiba’s smile is infectious; she can never _not_ smile when she’s around him. He tosses his arm around her and gives her a quick smack on the cheek. Laughing, she shoves him off of her.

“Save that for Ino-pig. I’m not interested.” His grin merely widens and he winks. “So what snacks did you get us this time?”

“Only the best for my best girlies.” He chuckles as she squeals when he reveals candy packages from under his coat.

Ino soon joins them (with freshly plump and painted lips, the skank) and the trio chitchats while waiting in line. As Kiba goes to get their tickets, Ino leans in and whispers, “Uh, forehead?” She nods her head back. “Someone’s got their eye on you.”

Sakura sneaks a glance behind them and almost dies, quickly averting her eyes foreword. She grips Ino’s arm with a white knuckles and whispers, “Oh my god! It’s him!” What is he _doing_ here? Granted, it is a public theatre and it is opening weekend for a blockbuster movie… Still!

Her best friend takes a moment to look back and shakes her head. “Dammit, I should have gone into photography.”

“Ugh, Ino! This is not the time!”

Laughing, she grabs the tickets from Kiba and they follow him inside. “Relax, he- wait. Did he know you were seeing a movie tonight?”

She swallows. “I mean, yeah? He overheard the conversation earlier.”

Ino’s grin is sly. “Oh, he did? Hmmm- oh, Kiba can you get us something to drink, too? Thanks! Anyway, he looks like he’s _alone_ ,” her blonde brows waggle.

“Pig! Don’t be ridiculous. He’s probably just… waiting for his friends or… girlfriend or… something. It’s just a coincidence.” She looks back outside and sees a tall, blonde man join Sasuke. “See! He’s with a friend…” She’s not disappointed (she’s not because he’s with a _male_ friend and there is no _female_ in sight and there was not a tiny part of her that thought _maybe_ \- no don’t go there).

“Mhmm.”

Her face is burning by the time Kiba rejoins them with drinks and when they’re finding their seats, she flicks her finger up at them and sits several rows away. Kiba tosses her some of the candy and she catches most of them but then-

“Haruno, this yours?”

Deep breathe. It’s cool. It’s fine. She gingerly takes the box from Sasuke. “Thanks.”

The blonde beside him is grinning (his smile is possibly more contagious than Kiba’s) and his bright blue eyes are twinkling. “Hey, I’m Naruto!”

“Sakura,” she can’t help but smile back.

“Ne, teme, is this the- oof.” Sasuke elbows him in the stomach.

“Shut _up_ , dobe.” They glare at each other for a second before he clears his throat and obsidian eyes take in the crowded theatre before turning to her. “Those seats saved?”

“N-no.” She shakes her head and sits down and tries not to freak out as Sasuke sits next to her. Her phone vibrates in her pocket and she carefully takes it out.

_FOREEHEAADD ;) ;) ;)_

She quickly puts her phone back in her pocket, face aflame, and nervously taps her foot on the floor as she opens one of the boxes. There’s _no way_. It’s just a coincidence, right? He’s her _senpai_. He’s here with a friend. It means _nothing_.

The nearly two hours it takes for the movie flies by and she barely remembers what it was about. All she can remember is how she kept bumping elbows or brushing hands with Sasuke and how they kept making eye contact through the movie and how insanely good he smells and how much she wants to take his picture for the rest of her life.

She wants to scream.

The fresh air helps her breathe a little easier and she steps away from the crowd, waiting for Ino and Kiba to emerge. She rolls her eyes when they do. They clearly made out the entire time. Ino looks behind her for a moment, then winks and grabs Kiba’s hand and they run quickly towards his jeep.

“W-what! Ino!” Her best friend (some best friend!) flicks her middle finger up, cackling. “Bitch get back here you guys are my ride home!”

She’s about to run after them when Naruto darts in front of her. “Teme can give you a ride home, Sakura-chan.”

Oh no. No no no no no. “No! I couldn’t possibly- it’s- I just need to-“

“Nonsense!” He throws an arm around her shoulder. “Don’t be so nervous. Look,” He shoves his phone in her face and she’s suddenly staring at a picture of her. Today. In front of the art building (before he came up to her?). He flicks the photo and another one pops up, of her, again, this time by a pond. Then there’s a third one and how many did he _take_ because there's one of her on the phone (also how did she not notice- actually never mind, we all know why)? Before she can fully process what she’s looking at, the screen goes black and he yells, “Oi! Sakura-chan needs a ride home.”

She’s shoved forward as Naruto makes a break for it, yelling something she can’t quite hear because her heart is pounding and the blood is rushing in her ears and on her face and Sasuke’s looking at her. He clears his throat and opens the car door for her (Mikoto-san didn’t raise a miscreant) and she starts to think maybe.

“Are you hungry?”

“Y-yeah…”

Maybe.

The car ride is silent until she breaks it, “Senpai?”

“Hn.”

 _Maybemaybemaybe_.

“Naruto showed me some pictures on his phone.” She watches as his shoulders stiffen just a little and she tries to bite back her growing smile. “I just wanted to say that I think you have a good eye, too.”

The car is parked and it’s a long moment before he looks at her, considering. “Kakashi is going to have to grade your papers.” He sounds a little too happy about that?

She can only breathe out a, “That’s fine,” as he starts to lean in closer and she feels herself being drawn towards him.

“He’s a lot tougher than I am,” he murmurs and his warmth is radiating.

“I kinda figured,” their lips are almost brushing and she feels light as his hand curls around the back of her head.

The small distance is closed. Her eyes flutter shut and she swears she’s seeing stars as his lips press just a little harder against hers. It’s over a little too soon for her liking (but she’s also kind of feeling lightheaded and needs to breathe) and they stare at one another for a moment. Then, she grips his hoodie and pulls him close again and she can feel his lips curling into a smirk before his teeth bite her lower lip and their kiss _deepens_ and their tongues touch and she feels lightning spark through her veins.

A groan emits from his throat and she giggles as they break apart because the console is digging into his stomach and her leg is stuck between the seats but there's a small smile on his face. He gets out and she waits for him to open her door and thinks he'll definitely be easy to please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it obvious I love Ino/Sakura friendship? Cause I do. 
> 
> What do we think? Hopefully this is a satisfying ending. Now I need to write at least one more page of my paper.
> 
> Also, I know zero about photography. I used my knowledge of art and the google to help.


	15. fortune-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things are just destined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Err... Sexy times ahead.

fortune _ish_

“Alright, ladies! It’s time to deal with destiny!” The brunette woman sporting twin buns on her head grins wildly while shuffling her deck of Tarot cards.

Sakura rolls her eyes and shares a look with Hinata as Tenten and Ino proceed to predict their cards for the year. For the last five years, it has become a habit for the four of them to get together and have Tenten read their future outcomes through the cards at the beginning of the new year. Sakura’s never been one to completely believe in this sort of thing, but after the last couple of years and the predictions being oddly on point, she’s a little apprehensive this time around. Ino continues to bounce with excitement and she’s sure Hinata is waiting for the cards to tell her Naruto finally returns her affections (damn oblivious idiot, it’s only been like ten years).

“Did you read Neji’s fortune, Ten?” Sakura inquires as Ino picks out her cards (she always goes first).

Laughing, Tenten nods and begins to flip over the cards the blonde chose. “He’s such a killjoy. Said he was in charge of his destiny and refused to let me finish the reading… Okay, so… it looks like this year is going to be good to you in regards to love! We have the artist and the ace of cups. The artist is dedicated, passionate, and creative. The ace of cups tells us that the artist will bring with him excitement and a desire, ooh. Like teens newly in love you’ll want to spend all your time with him.”

Ino’s practically glowing. “I bet it’s that hot guy I saw the other day outside of the café! He was sketching something in this giant book. I should have gone up and talked to him- dammit.” She sits back in her chair and pouts.

Tenten winks. “If he’s the artist we see here, then you’ll meet him again.” She places the cards back in the pile and shuffles. “Hina, you ready?”

Red-faced and nervous, the ebony-haired woman nods as Tenten spreads out the cards once more. Hinata picks out her two cards and takes a deep breath.

“I swear to God if this doesn’t tell us Naruto is finally going to ask you out I’m going take destiny by the balls and give them a good tug,” Ino remarks making Hinata blush a little more.

Sakura laughs and watches the brunette turn the cards over. From the smile that sports her face, she can tell it’s good news.

“Ooh! We have the empress and knight of cups! This tells us that you will have a deep connection with your partner and the knight of cups represents, well, your knight in shining armor. It usually appears when you’re already being courted though…” All three eyes trail to the blushing woman.

“Hina~! Did you forget to tell us something?”

Quietly, Hinata states, “I-it was nothing. He dropped by at the restaurant when I was having a really bad day.”

“Nothing?! Are you kidding!”

The women proceed to gush and ask for details ( _how could you keep this from us! and you didn’t faint?!)._ After several moments and a straight answer, Tenten nods. “Well then, I think this year is your year! Naruto is your knight in shining armor, girl!” (About damn time, too).

A groan releases from Sakura’s throat as they all proceed to look at her. The past few years her love life has been a tragedy, especially the last couple of years. She had been in a serious relationship and then the Tarot cards predicted ruin and sure enough, the guy she was with cheated on her. A lot. She swears if the prediction for this year goes wrong she’s joining Neji and declaring a big ‘ _fuck you’_ to destiny. Cautiously, she picks out her two cards.

Humming, Tenten reveals one, gasping. “The lovers! This is good, Sak! This is the best card you can get for your love life, it represents a unique bond and strong connection.” When she flips over the second card they all stare.

“Uhm… Ten, what the hell?” Sakura peers forward with calculating green eyes.

The card is blank.

Hinata and Ino both take turns inspecting the card and holding it up to the light. When it’s set back down Tenten smiles sheepishly. “Here, let me just take this card out and reshuffle, okay?”

Her stomach goes to knots as she watches her friend reshuffle the deck. She picks out two cards again and they all wait with baited breath.

“The lovers again! See? I keep telling you this isn’t bullshit. And- what the shit!” The second card is blank. “I don’t- I don’t understand. Sak, I swear, I…” She trails off, staring at the card, confused. They try again a third time and the results are the same: one card reveals the lovers and the other is blank. After a while-

“What could a blank card mean?” Hinata inquires.

“Uhm, well… My best guess is something forgotten?”

Sakura blinks, thoroughly perplexed (and just a little weirded out). “Forgotten?”

“Yeah, like- Maybe a long lost love or something! Is there someone from your past that you loved but maybe haven’t thought about in a while?”

Definitely not. She can count on one shop teachers hand the amount of times she’s actually been in love (even with the guy who cheated, she’s not sure she even truly loved him ~~all the better for it anyway the bastard~~ ). They all sit in silence, contemplating the meaning of the blank card when Ino pipes up.

“Wait! Forehead, I got it! You remember when we went to Oto during our junior year? For that research conference we attended to get extra credit?”

Distantly she remembers and carefully affirms. Ino presses forward, “We got like super drunk one of the nights and you had that one night stand! He gave you mind-blowing sex and-“ She gives Hinata and Tenten a saucy look, “She had hickeys _everywhere_. I mean, like,” she points to specific areas on her body and Sakura flushes (and so does Hinata; Tenten merely grins).

“Okay! We get it!” She takes a deep breath, trying to recall that night. “I mean… I barely remembered the details then. It’s been what, like six years?” She recalls waking up in her hotel room, alone and with barely any memories. “I thought I might have been assaulted because I didn’t remember _anything_ -“

Ino interrupts. “But that was _not_ the case! Sometime during the time they were together I went to check on her and holy _shit_. I swear it was like a porno in there. Like, I mean I was sorely tempted to burst in the room to get me some of that good fucking because _damn_. I’ve never heard forehead like that-“

“We _get_ it, pig!” Sakura stares at the card and clears her throat, thoroughly embarrassed and flushed red (Hinata is red as well, we can always count on her to feel that secondhand embarrassment). “So, you’re saying that a one night stand I had when I was twenty is supposed to be my true love? I don’t even remember the details of that night much less what he _looks_ like- holy _shit_! What the hell!” She lets out a shriek.

All four women bolt up from their chairs as an image begins to show on the card. The letters at the bottom reveal the word _Fate_ and two hands are drawn on the card, a bright red thread tied to each pinky.

Tenten holds her hands up in defense. “I have no idea what’s going on! I didn’t even know I _had_ a card that…” Cautiously (very cautiously because is her deck haunted now or something?), she picks up the card and inspects it. “This is a representation of the red thread of fate. I’m positive I don’t have this card. I don’t even think it’s in any kind of Tarot deck…”

They’re all silent for several long minutes, contemplating, suspicious, and what the actual hell maybe her deck _is_ haunted.

“So…” Hinata’s voice is soft and hesitant, “So then… The card is saying that the man Sakura, uh _met with,_ one time is her destiny? And they’re supposed to have a really strong connection?”

“That’s… yeah, that’s my best guess.” Brown eyes glance towards Sakura, who is still frozen in her spot and now completely weirded out by what just happened (what did just happen!?).

More silence.

“Maybe we uh… maybe this is the last year we do this.”

“Yeah… I- I think I’ll… retire from fortune telling and burn this deck.”

* * *

_Six Years Ago_

She’s smashed. Drunk. She should have never let Ino talk her into going to that club holy hell. Of course if she wasn’t drunk she probably wouldn’t be in the passionate, frenzied make out session in her hotel room with the guy her and Ino spotted (ogled, gushed, and potentially leered) at the conference earlier. Liquid courage and all that (although the more they touch and kiss the more sober she feels). 

He presses her further into the bed and she runs her hands under his shirt, eliciting a groan from him as her fingers brush his nipples (his skin is so _smooth_ ). She smiles and he bites her lip in return before breaking away and tossing his shirt over his head. His already unruly hair is mussed up further and _damn_ he’s hot as hell. He’s looking down at her with black eyes, hazed with desire and an intensity that’s boiling her blood and warming her all over.

Fingernails scrape against his stomach as he bites and sucks at a sensitive part of her neck and she’s starting to feel dizzy in a very good way and she wants more. Mischievous fingers inch their way into the fabric of his pants and he groans again when she trails lightly over his hard member. He bites her harder and pulls back again, hands going to the bottom edge of her dress and he pulls it up and over her in a flash. His breath sucks in for a moment as he drinks in the sight of her and smirks because she’s now naked (and his work is done ~~thank god bras get confusing~~ ).

Heat floods her senses and she drags her fingers along his spine when his lips latch onto a nipple. His tongue twirls and he sucks and nips and he’s moving to her other breast and proceeds to abuse it and god she’s burning and she needs _more_. Small hands shove their way into his pants and she strokes him with tight, long grips. A growl emits from his throat and his lips burn imprints along her stomach as he moves down, nipping every so often until he meets her inner thigh and starts to lick and suck.

_Moremoremore._

“There we go,” he mutters along her thigh as she moans from the sensation of his ministrations and how _close_ he is to the fire that is scorching between her legs. His breath is tickling and only adds to her heat and she whimpers when he moves up again, twirling his tongue along her navel.

Their eyes meet in a fog of desire and passion and _need_ and _god this feels so right_.

His pants are thrown off and his fingers dig into her thighs as he pulls her up and thrusts so easily into her and she lets out a cry because he feels _so_ _good_ and she feels _so whole._ Wrapping her legs around his waist, she clenches her hand on his head and pulls him in for a feverish kiss. Their tongues intertwine and he begins to pull out, slowly, achingly, and then buries himself in again in a quick plunge. He repeats the action and she's crying out with each thrust until she can’t take it anymore.

With an expert ease that is surprising because of her drunken state (and his heavy and toned body _damn_ ), she flips them over and gives him a wild grin. He mutters out a breathy curse as he pushes his hips upwards when she moves her hips, deepening their connection as she _grinds_ down. His large hands cup her breasts and tease and squeeze and she’s becoming overwhelmed with pleasure because he’s so fucking perfect. Distantly, she swears she hears a knock on the door but between his groans, her cries, and the thrashing of the headboard there’s already an overload of sensations and want and _oh_.

He sits up and grips her ass as she’s grinding against him and she wraps her arms around his neck and their lips interlock and then she finds herself thrown on her back as he pumps into her fast and hard. She’s whimpering against his lips and his next thrust sends her soaring in stars and white-hot heat and she’s trying to prolong the tremors of pleasure by rolling her hips against his. He thrusts again and she feels herself falling and he lets out a long groan, biting into her neck.

They lay there, panting, sweating, and still entwined together until he pulls out and she pouts. He proceeds to nip at her protruding bottom lip and runs his fingers along her forehead and cheek before settling along her jaw, his touch gentle, soft and oh so right. His too dark eyes are still clouded as he searches her face. She smiles shyly and tries to think of anything to say but through the pleasured haze she can’t find any words.

She’s not certain how much time passes as they stare at each other but she’s sure she doesn’t want it to ever end. Her lips press to his in a soft kiss and they spend an eternity with their tongues tangling together, gently and languidly. When they break apart, his eyes drag along her naked and sweat coated body and she swallows when they seem to darken even more. He smirks, sending a chill along her spine and her nipples harden and she begins to tingle with anticipation as he lowers his mouth back to her stomach, kissing his way down, down, down-

Nails dig into his scalp and her hips arch as his tongue slides and circles and- “O-Oh! _Ah!_ ”

As the night goes on and they continue to explore each other and find new waves of pleasure, neither notices the red string that curls around their pinkies, tying them together.

And when Sakura wakes up the next morning, she’s alone with a pounding headache, a patchy memory and a feeling that leaves her empty and hallow.

* * *

_Present_

It’s been a month since her… reading (the bizarre and completely creepy reading that led to them all watch the cards burn to a pile of ash in Tenten’s fireplace) and she’s moving about her life in her usual manner. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary and as she sips on her tea, making her way towards the hospital, she absently scratches her pinky, not noticing the light red dust forming into a solid circle around her small digit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super into doing these weird, supernatural stories right now. Tis the season. Also, I have zero knowlege of Tarot cards. I made up most and used some of what I found on the google.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading! :)


	16. fortune-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do you accept your destiny?

fortune _ish_ (part two)

They’re in the middle of their morning run when she trips and falls to the ground. Uncaring of her landing and the scrapes on her knees, she stares wide-eyed at her pinky, now wrapped in a thin red string.

“Sak! You okay?” Tenten kneels beside her, breathing heavily as she roams her eyes, checking for injury. She pauses when Sakura lifts her hand up.

“Please tell me you see this…” She delicately picks up the string pooling around her and swallows.

“I-I do…”

The two women stare at the string for a moment before it begins to fade into a light dust and it’s gone.

Tenten speaks first. “Is this… the first time you’ve seen it?” After Sakura nods, she inspects her friends’ pinky with careful brown eyes. “Uhm… let me see what I can find about this. Considering your reading… I mean, I’d say that’s pretty obviously the red thread of fate. Just… stay calm and don’t freak out, okay?”

To say she’s freaked out is an understatement, but she nods and grabs Tenten’s hand to get off the ground. They finish their run in eerie silence.

* * *

The string has appeared four times in the past week. Tenten finally came to the conclusion that it materializes when she’s within a certain distance of… the guy she had a one night stand with six years ago? The guy she remembers zero details about? The guy who is supposedly her destiny? Sighing, she finishes washing her hands and puts her lab coat back on. The thread disappears once the distance becomes too far. Recounting, it’s appeared at the coffee shop she frequents, on her and Tenten’s morning run again, then when she was on her way to Hinata’s restaurant, where it stayed for the duration of her meal with the girls and now it’s been with her since she stepped foot into the hospital.

Her and Tenten are the only ones that can see it (which could be for the best, it gets complicated enough thinking about a string pooling around someone she’s performing a surgery on).

She supposes with Ten’s background in fortunetelling and her spirituality it makes sense that she sees it as well. It’s also why Ten is more apt to believe in this and try to find ways to follow the thread so she can see him. However, Sakura’s scientific brain is having a difficult time with the concept that destiny is a thing and it (he, she, some genderless motherfucker who laughs at people’s misery) wants her to be with some guy she (according to Ino) porno fucked into oblivion. And the idea of knowing she’s fated to be with someone is overwhelming. So many insecurities are forming in her mind.

“How are you doing, Sak?”

She joins Tenten in the observation room and sits down. The surgery was a nice distraction but it’s over and now all she can think about-

“Do you think it’s better or worse to know?”

Her friend is silent, contemplating, before she answers. “I think… I think some people would kill to have the knowledge that they’re destined to be with someone. I think it gives people a sense of hope or comfort to know there’s a person out there who’s made for them. And they might think it’s better to hold out and wait than fall in love with someone who they aren’t meant to be with.”

Ino’s one of those people. She knows Hinata is, too, at least in the case of Naruto. But is she? Does she prefer to _know_? Even if she does, what are his thoughts?

“What if… what if he’s married, Ten? Has kids? Is madly in love with someone? I just…” She trails off, rubbing her face. “Do we both see it? What does he think? Does he know what it means?” Groaning, she slumps down further into the chair. These what ifs and questions are killing her.

“I believe that destiny wouldn’t let us know if it didn’t mean a happy ending,” the brunette tries, placing a hand on her shoulder. “And maybe when you two first met, it wasn’t the right time and now it is.”

She sighs. “I appreciate your optimism Ten, but I just… Ugh, I just don’t fucking know. And it’s not going away,” she holds up her hand, pinky pointed up. “Is he a patient? A visitor? Or one of the new doctors Tsunade is contracting? Oh my god and what if he doesn’t want me? What if I’m not good enough or he thinks destiny fucked up and I’m left _alone_ and-” She stops.

_Shit_. There are too many variables.

“Okay, I can _see_ the wheels turning and you look like you might explode from overthinking. Take a deep breath, Sakura.” She does so and takes another one, trying to evaporate her questions.

Tenten continues, “It will be okay. No matter what happens, if you and him end up together or not. If it’s the latter, you can join Neji in his ‘fuck destiny’ adventures, especially if it’ll get him off my ass.” They share a laugh and Tenten squeezes her shoulder. “I have to go, one of my patients should be here. I’ll see you for lunch, okay? Try not to overthink things.”

Nodding, her green eyes glance at her watch and she blows out a sigh. She has another surgery in thirty minutes. Another temporary distraction.

* * *

“You look like shit.”

She sends a scathing glare to the chief of the hospital and her mentor. “I’ve had back to back surgeries today and I have yet to have a day off. How else am I supposed to look?” She grumbles and finishes washing up.

Tsunade narrows her honey-colored eyes. “Don’t get sassy, brat.” There’s a brief pause and despite the disgruntled look, Sakura can see the concern shining in her mentor’s eyes. “Go sleep it off in one of the break rooms before you pass out during an operation.”

Sleep actually sounds heavenly. She hasn’t gotten much of it lately, with the shifts at the hospital and almost constant presence of this damn red thread (yes she’s still overthinking because it’s what she does best, sorry Ten). It’s been a week since the first time it appeared on her at the hospital and it’s stayed every single day she’s been on shift. At this point, she can almost ignore its existence. Almost. _Almostalmostalmost._

Dragging her feet, she enters one of the staff rooms and flops down on the bed, making sure her pager is turned up before burying her face in the pillow. Vaguely, as she drifts off into sleep, she thinks she hears the door open.

Her pager vibrating and going off jolts her out of her sleep and she twists, falling off the bed.

Grunting, she pulls herself up and irately clicks at her pager. She can hear her name being called over the intercom as she rubs her eyes. _Dr. Haruno trauma in the ER_. Glancing at her watch, she muses she got about an hour of sleep. Better than nothing she supposes and shrugs on her lab coat. As she reaches for the door, her other hand is pulled back and the thread around her pinky tightens.

“OW! What the-“ She whips around and forgets how to _breathe_ as she looks at the man sitting on the bed opposite the one she was just on (and how long has he been in here?!). He’s cradling a pool of the thread in his hand and she can see the end of it tied to his finger.

He’s staring at her with an unreadable expression and then it’s like a dam breaks in her mind and she’s flooded with the lost memories of six years ago (holy shit Ino was not exaggerating) and then she sees _more_. Their life in ten years, twenty, thirty and she can _feel everything_ and there’s a little-

Her stomach is tightening and her heart is racing a million miles an hour and she can’t _breathe_. They’re staring at one another and she sees in his eyes a vortex of promises and things that could be and it’s fucking _terrifying_. What does she do? _What does she do!_

“ _Paging Dr. Haruno. Dr. Haruno, you are needed in Trauma.”_

Blinking, she snaps out of her reverie, breaths, and clicks off her pager before she throws the door open and bolts.

* * *

He’s one of the doctors Tsunade recently contracted. Uchiha Sasuke, pulmonologist, transfer from Oto, and highly regarded in and outside of his field (hell, the Uchiha name is well known in general; his parents were the headliners of the conference she attended). She’s read several articles about him and the research he’s done to help find a cure for the disease that took his brother (who was also a brilliant doctor before his passing; she even owns several books he wrote, varying topics and research proposals).

And she’s avoiding him like the plague. Which is easy now that she knows (remembers) what he looks like. Every time she sees his unruly black hair (it’s a little longer now but still spiky and artfully messy and she remembers how soft it was and _dammit_ ) she hightails it in the other direction. The damned string is still there (like it’s mocking her) and another indicator of his presence near her. The thread tightens when they’re close (too close) and she does everything in her power to widen that distance because she doesn’t know what to do.

Her heart nearly jumps out of her chest when she spots him talking with Tenten. She shakes her head frantically, waving her arms in crosses, when Tenten glances towards her. Then he starts to turn and she does the only thing she can and runs down the hall and into one of the staff rooms. Belatedly, she realizes that the thread will lead him straight to her and her not so well hid hiding spot.

_Dammit_!

There’s a knock on the door she’s leaning against and she’s pretty sure she can unlatch the window and escape through there as long as this is the side of the hospital with the sturdy roof-

“Sakura, he’s gone.”

She opens the door enough to make sure Tenten isn’t lying to her before opening it fully. The physical therapist is standing with her hands on her hips, shaking her head. Sheepishly, Sakura steps out as Ten rolls her eyes and they walk in silence down the hall and she thinks there’s just one more hour before she can stay sequestered in her home for the next two days and pretend things like red strings and destiny aren’t a thing.

“Sakura…” She says it in that motherly voice of hers. The one that never fails to make any of them crack like an egg.

And crack she does. “I don’t know, Ten! Okay! I’m scared, I don’t know what to expect, I don’t know what he wants, I just don’t know! Maybe I’m a coward for avoiding him and running away! I don’t care! I just- I can’t- and now I can remember everything from that night and I remember how I felt and I _saw_ things and _felt_ things that haven’t even- shouldn’t even - _fuck_ Ten, I-I-”

The rest is muffled as Tenten engulfs her in a hug. “It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to not know what’s going to happen… but Sak…” She pauses and squeezes her friend tighter. “You’re going to have to face him eventually.”

Her voice is still muffled. “Can it wait?”

“Yeah… it can wait a little longer.”

What Tenten actually meant was that she would call Ino who would proceed to berate her for holding back on her destiny ( _forehead! Get your head out of your ass and quit being a little bitch)_. Sakura spent the last hour of her time at the hospital firing texts back and forth before she finally shut her phone off. She stopped at one of her favorite food stands on her way home, getting several sticks of dango intent on eating them all (don’t judge) while watching one of her favorite shows.

* * *

She’s halfway through the dango and several episodes in when there’s a knock on her door. Probably Ino ( _quit ignoring me and quit ignoring your destiny!_ ). She’s about to open the door when she feels the string tighten and panics.

_No_.

One look through her peephole tells her that yes, it is him.

Slowly, she backs away from the door. Another knock. If she doesn’t answer, he’ll have to go away eventually-

“Your friend said you weren’t planning on going anywhere.” His voice is slightly stifled behind the door and it sends a chill down her spine as she recalls the way he sounded during their night together.

Dammit Tenten! Traitor!

She’s standing in the middle of her living room, intent on never answering her door when her hand is tugged forward. Her heart jumps in her throat as she stumbles and falls onto the door with a curse.

Fed up, she yells, “What do you want!”

“To talk at the very least.”

“Why! We had one night, six years ago! There’s nothing to talk about-“ She’s pulled against the door again. “OW! Dammit, stop doing that!”

“I’m not going away.” She’s not sure but she thinks he sounds a little amused.

AUGH.

Furiously, she unlatches the locks and slides the door open, pulling at the thread bundled in his hands. She stomps as far away from him as she can (which is not far, her apartment is kind of small) and crosses her arms, waiting as he slides the door shut. Hands in his pockets, he steps forward and stares.

And stares.

She’s having a difficult time breathing and looking at him is bringing forth an array of emotions and things she can’t fathom so she averts her gaze to the dark patch on her bamboo floor from when Hinata (and Ino, though she’ll deny it until her dying breath) had a nose bleed from seeing Naruto shirtless. They spend several minutes in silence and she’s trying not to think about how handsome he is, how his hands were warm and firm, how his lips were soft and how his tongue-

“Well, get after it then!” Her voice is a little pitchy and she’s beyond flustered.

Out of her peripherals she watches him move towards her bookshelf and pick up a book that has seen better days. It’s one of her favorites. It’s also written by his deceased brother. He sets it down gently after a moment of contemplation and she doesn’t realize her eyes are focused on him until they meet and she averts her gaze once more, staring at the stain.

“Do you remember that night?”

In a shaky whisper she responds, “I didn’t… uhm… not until the other day…”

“Hn.”

Silence. It’s heavy, tense, suffocating. Naturally, she wants to break it (she’s always been a talker) but instead clutches fists to her chest and fiddles lightly with the string, stare intent on the dark stain.

His voice breaks through the silence like a boulder demolishing a building. “I had forgotten about it… But I remembered for a while. I spent a lot of time regretting not going back to your room, wondering why I felt the need to know who you were or…” He trails off and sighs. “But I forgot because my attention was demanded elsewhere. My brother relapsed and I was desperate to find a cure for him and I couldn’t let some random one night stand get in the way.”

She can hear sorrow in his voice and she doesn’t blame him, how could she? She didn’t remember. And he was trying to save his brother. Who was she to stand in the way, even unknowingly?

“He was an avid reader. Any kind of book, it didn’t matter to him so when I was going through them after he passed… I found this book on Japanese legends and folklores. It talked about the red string of fate, how soulmates exist and how everything happens for a reason. Not the best time to read a book about destiny after your older brother passes...” A pause. “I burned it… and tried moving forward because that’s what he wanted me to do.”

Tears brim in her eyes and she swallows a lump in her throat.

He continues. “Fast forward five years and I arrive in Konoha. There are better opportunities for research studies, better funding, and mostly everything here seems better. Then one day,” she tenses because he sounds closer and she takes a nonchalant step to the side, fists tightening. “One day I’m walking down the street and there’s a fucking thread tying itself to my finger. It disappears almost as quickly as it appeared and I think maybe I’m hallucinating but then it appears again. And _again_. And then it’s just there. Taunting me.”

She places a hand on the edge of her couch to steady herself because he’s definitely moving closer and she can smell fire and earth and it’s so familiar yet so unknown and her heart is thrumming in her chest.

“That stupid book I burned came back to me and I finally decided to follow the damn thread, seeing if it would lead me to something… And then I see pink. I see the memories I had pushed back into the corners of my mind and I remember my brother telling me that things happen for a reason and maybe we won’t ever understand it, but sometimes it’s better to just accept the things that come than to run away or fight them. Even on his deathbed he was a pretentious pain in my ass…”

Her back is now against the edge of her couch and she’s gripping it with both hands and she refuses to look him in the eye because it’s too much and she’s overwhelmed and she- she just-

“So I follow her. Because I remember how it felt to be with her, even for those few short hours. And I think, this is my time to finally move forward because I’ve gotten something back that was lost to me. And I wait for her to wake and when she finally sees me, when she looks at me- she fucking runs.” He huffs. “I’ve never chased after anyone. Never wanted to. My goal has always been the work I do as a doctor and to fight the fucking disease that took my brother away from me but _fuck me_ when I saw you again, I saw _everything_. And you run away and then you fucking _avoid_ me.”

She bites her tongue (to be fair she was being called to the ER but yeah she was also avoiding him) and her breath hitches as he places his arms around either side of her, caging her in. His body is warm and his scent is wafting over every fiber of her senses and she’s blinking tears down her cheeks as he presses on,

“I had to memorize your schedule and track down your friend so I could try to talk to you but apparently you were always one step ahead. And then I have to get your address from her and chase you down and I _don’t do this_.” He sighs and she can feel the hot air brush against her, tickling. “But I am doing this because I’ve lost the one person in the world who understood me the most and I’m not going to fight or run away from this- Look at me, Sakura.”

She’s a trembling, sobbing mess when she lifts her eyes to meet his dark obsidian ones that are determined and intense and hold promises-

“I’m scared…” She finally manages to whisper out. All her insecurities and what ifs (she’s not good enough, he’ll realize they won’t be able to see each other because she works so much because that’s why she was cheated on, and she sometimes has a temper and _she’s not good enough for him_ ) are sliding through her mind like an avalanche and then-

His hand, firm, warm comes up to her cheek. “What makes you think I’m not?” He presses closer to her and she can feel his heartbeat, erratic, wild just like hers. “I’m fucking terrified.” Long fingers brush against her cheeks, wiping away the waterfall of tears that are pouring from her eyes. “But I know what I want to do… What do you want?”

Really, how does someone say no to that? To him? She can feel the thread tightening in an almost painful manner and with a shaky hand (and still a hot, sobbing mess), she pulls him close and kisses him. With the press of their lips, she feels whole again and it feels right, it feels like she’s been wandering for an endless eternity and finally found her way home. His hands move down from her face, to her neck, to her waist and then she’s being lifted up onto the edge of her couch. Her legs wrap around his waist and he leans her back, deepening their kiss.

Their kiss is fire and heat and passion. It’s as if she’s been drowning and he saved her and breathed life back into her very soul. He moves just a few feet and her back hits the couch cushions and she clings to him as he assaults her mouth, tongue twirling against hers. His hands are a furnace against her skin and she arches when he grasps one of her breasts (cage free since she came home ~~lucky him, bras are still confusing~~ ) and then he’s pulling off her sweater as she rips open his shirt, uncaring of the buttons torn off in the process.

They just need to _feel_ and need _more,_ so much more. She lets out a moan as he sucks and licks on that certain part of her neck and he'll never forget what makes her moan and cry because her noises will forever burn bright in his memories. Clothes fly around them and he moves his lips in a hot trail up and down her stomach as she clutches his shoulders, nails digging deep when his hand travels down and he slides a finger against her clit. She lets out a cry as he inserts two fingers and his mouth is on hers again, swallowing her moans and tangling their tongues in a fiery passion.

Delicate fingers glide down his chest, abs, and move along his hips before she wraps her hand around his hard, throbbing member and matches his pace. He bites her lip when she runs her thumb over his tip and she laughs because she feels happy and free and this is _so right_. There’s a brief moment of pause as their eyes meet, _brightbrightemeralds_ and _darkbottomlessonyx_ , and he smiles at her and then his fingers move and he grits his teeth, hissing as she squeezes him through her climax, nearly sending him over the edge with her cries and the way she looks and how fucking perfect she is.

Fingers entwine and he brings his other hand up to her face, tracing along her forehead, cheek and jaw, brushing his thumb over her lower lip. Ankles lock around his waist and he lifts her hips up and thrusts. It’s fast and hard and everything they’ve missed for six years is clinging around them and there’s plenty of time to go slow later, right now they're just burning with _want_ and _need_ and _harder_ and _fasterfasterfaster_.

As they continue to move in rhythm, their pulses locked, and their eyes never straying from the other, they distantly think they hear a knock on her door but then she’s thrown back into a fiery world, quivering and gasping as he thrusts just the right way and her world sparks and he groans into her neck when she tightens around him, tossing him over the edge of the cliff alongside her where there are stars and flames and burning waves of pleasure coursing through their veins.

Panting and sweating, they lie on her couch, eyes searching and fingers tracing over every inch of their bodies and the red string tightens once more, before dissipating in a red dust signifying their bond is complete and eternal.

(Later that night Sakura finally turn her phone back on and has several text messages including one from Ino who, yes was in fact there earlier, knocking on the door and _I heard your porno fucking through the thin walls and damn forehead let’s not make this a habit okay but also let me know if you guys ever want to three-way cause that’s some good fucking right there_ )

* * *

_Five years later_

“But how do you _know_ know, like you seem extremely confident and I just can’t fathom it. What if you’re wrong?”

She laughs and straightens up the bouquet. “I just know, okay pig? Maybe when you and Sai decide to have a baby you’ll know, too.”

Ino makes a noise like she isn’t buying what Sakura’s selling and joins Tenten, who is catering to Hinata and Naruto’s newborn baby as the couple sleeps a few feet away on their couch. They make cooing noises at the cute little blonde boy who smiles a gummy smile at their faces.

“So you’re telling him tonight?”

Humming, she picks up her purse and keys. “Yeah, I have the test all ready and set out for him. Although I have a feeling he already knows.”

Ino rolls her eyes. “Here we go again with that mysterious ‘ _I just know’_ shit. Seriously, I get knowing you’re pregnant but I don’t understand how you can possibly say with that much confidence that the baby will be a girl.”

Shrugging, she waves her fingers at the baby and shares a knowing look with Tenten who says, “Some things are just destined.”

Smiling, she bids her friends a good night and begins her journey back home where she knows her husband will be waiting and knows he won’t be surprised to learn she’s pregnant with their little girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TO BE FEEHHRRR (if you know you know). This got away from me lol. And obvs I was feeling some type of way when I was fast typing this joker up. Also, some Ten/Sak friendship for ya. A little something different for my girl Ten who got the short end cause her man got kilt unfairly just like my boy Itachi (as I kilt him in my story LOL) (it wouldn't be as bad if Kishi hadn't of released those freaking sketches like here's Neji if he would have lived lolsorrynotsorryguys WOW THANKS YOU HEARTLESS MFER... like I get it but I'm still sad/mad you know).
> 
> What say you? Would you prefer to know? Or nah? The red string has always been a fav folklore of mine.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and reviews/comments are always appreciated. :)


	17. private-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He rarely ever questions a client when they ask him to investigate someone. Thus, when he was hired to trail after a woman, he didn’t think anything about it. And after three months of following her (it’s not stalking if he has a license to tail people) and taking her pictures and getting to know her schedule, he’s stumped. Haruno Sakura is basically perfect.

private _ish_

He rarely ever questions a client when they ask him to investigate someone. As long as they pay, he’ll do whatever he needs to do and get the answers the client wants (and sometimes doesn’t want like in cases of infidelity which he absolutely hates doing but they usually pay well to overcompensate their insecurities). Thus, when he was hired by one Yakushi Kabuto to trail after a woman by the name of Haruno Sakura, he didn’t think anything about it. Kabuto paid a very hefty amount and asked him to look for specific actions and at first, he wondered if this might be another infidelity case. 

After three months of following her (it’s not stalking if he has a license to tail people) and taking her pictures and getting to know her schedule, he’s stumped. For the first time in his life, he doesn’t understand why someone would hire him to investigate a woman who is by all means, innocent, and not into any illegal activities.

She starts her mornings out early, usually around six and goes for a run. He has several prints of her hanging in his darkroom and on his office desk of her running in the dewy morning atmosphere, soft pink hair taking on a more vibrant hue against the rising sun. She then heads back to her humble home (small and practical, not anything like his two-story condo) and gets ready for the day. It takes her about an hour (sometimes less, sometimes longer and if he’s been able to find a universal theme in tailing women it’s their inability to get ready within a certain amount of time) before she emerges and heads towards the small children’s clinic she works at. 

She takes her lunch at the same time every day and is usually accompanied by a loud blonde woman that reminds him of Naruto and once a week (sometimes twice if it’s a particularly stressful week), after they part ways, she’ll stop at the dango food truck and get two sticks of mitarashi dango to take back with her to the clinic. She stays late every day and is usually the one to lock up the clinic at night. Then she goes home and reads or watches tv or sometimes she’ll go out to a club or bar with the blonde woman, returning to her home a handful of hours later. She doesn’t appear to have a boyfriend or husband or any form of significant other carrying on an illicit affair. 

Haruno Sakura is basically perfect. 

He’s going through his camera, sorting through the many photos of her on his memory card (listen it’s not stalking okay) when he hears the crunch of a branch behind him. His body tenses when he comes face to face with said woman who is holding up a can of pepper spray, standing a few feet away. 

_Fuck_. 

_Fuckfuckfuck._

In all his years of private investigating, never, not _once_ , has someone caught him. He’s fucking good at what he does and he knows how to remain inconspicuous. How did she sneak up on him? How did she even know he was here? More importantly, how the hell did he lose sight of her (maybe the little break to sort through the many photos of her on his camera distracted him, seems kind of likely Uchiha)? Even more importantly, he can’t take his eyes off of her and she’s even more breathtaking up close.

Her face is flushed (from the run and possibly from approaching him), her chest is heaving, and there’s sweat glistening down the valley between her breasts down towards her belly button and he swallows. Hard. Today is one of the days she chose to only wear her sports bra.

She raises the pepper spray up a little more. “Why are you following me?” Her voice is firm and her eyes narrowed and he thinks that his camera did not do them justice because the color is so _vibrant green_ \- “Hello! Why are you following me!” 

He blinks and silently (because he can’t seem to form any words to speak _seriously Uchiha get it together_ ) removes his business card from his back pocket, handing it to her. Hesitantly, she takes it and her eyes go wide.

“A private investigator!?” She looks from him to the card several times and her face turns redder. “Oh my _god_ \- Kabuto! That fucking _asshole!_ ”

He continues to stare, dumbstruck, at her as she rants about the person who hired him, only half paying attention because damn she’s fucking beautiful. Her hair is tied up in a ponytail today and the shorter strands are falling around her neck and face, sticking to her from the sweat and humidity and her shorts are tight against her ass and her legs are toned and- her eyes are focused on his face and she looks determined and he starts to actually pay attention to what she’s saying.

“...is he paying you?” 

Shit.

Get it _together_ , Uchiha.

An aggravated look crosses her pretty pretty features and she repeats her question when he doesn’t answer. “How much is he paying you? Look, I don’t have a whole lot of money, but I can try to like pay a little more than what he gave you because this is absolute _bullshit_ and-”

He shocks them both with his words, “I’ll do it for free.”

“-And- I… you- you’ll… Wait, seriously? You’ll investigate Kabuto for me free of charge?”

“Yes.” What the fuck is wrong with him. Never, _never_ has he conducted an investigation without payment and what, because of one silly woman he’s followed for three months he suddenly loses his mind and-and-

The way her eyes brighten and the smile that begins to form on her plump, pink lips leaves him breathless.

“I can’t thank you enough! Oh my god, okay, so how does this work? I can tell you exactly what you need to look for because Kabuto’s an absolute _snake_ and then do I need to contact you or…?” She trails off, looking at him expectantly.

He clears his throat. “I’ll contact you. Give me the details of what you need and I’ll report my findings.”

“Okay. Thank you so much, Uchiha-san, really.”

“Sasuke is fine.” It’s like his mouth has a mind of its own now.

Her smile rivals the sun. “Sasuke,” _fuck him_ his name rolls off her tongue like melted chocolate, “I guess I’ll see you soon, then.”

* * *

One month later she’s in his apartment, sitting on his couch, sipping on some tea and going through photos with him. Turns out, Kabuto is in fact a snake and is working with one Orochimaru, a lawyer with whom Sasuke had the privilege of meeting a couple of years ago after being hired to dig up dirt on a woman named Tsunade (he didn't find anything except that she drinks too much and has an intense gambling problem, both of which weren't his concern or anything to report in). And apparently, Tsunade is Sakura’s aunt and helped her to open up the children’s clinic she actually _owns,_ which Kabuto has been trying to gain ownership of and take out from under her.

(It’s times like these he questions his moral compass and maybe he needs to vet his clients more).

And it’s clear Sakura is innocent in all of this and if he had found anything remotely scandalous on her, she would have lost everything because Kabuto is a smooth-talking serpent and is excellent at hiding his true intentions and Orochimaru likes to play dirty (or that’s what she ranted about anyway).

Lucky for her though, he’s the best at what he does and not even Kabuto can hide his shady activities from him. He wasn’t exactly a fan of Orochimaru when he was hired by him, and made it a point to keep a file on him in case anything came up and after the last month, it’s apparent that man is shady as _fuck_. 

Sakura’s overlooking said file and her eyes are shimmering. “Wow, Sasuke, this is- this is _everything_. Seriously, this is basically all we need to take them down!” 

“Hn.” He’s trying to pay attention to the photos before him and not the pretty woman sitting so closely next to him who smells like apple pie. “I have several photos of them together,” he pulls out several pictures and lays them out, “and I believe they have a few locations around Oto that they use for their _experiments_ but this should be enough for Tsunade to use at the moment. Everything else can be subpoenaed later.”

“Do you have any photos of their hideouts?”

“Aa, in my office.”

“Do you mind if I take a look at them?”

“It’s the first door by the stairs.” 

Several minutes goes by as he tries to distract himself by reviewing the files on the two men and overlooking more of the photos when his blood runs cold. 

She’s in his office.

Where there are prints (several several prints) of her laid out on his desk.

_Shitshitshit fuck._

As calmly as he can, he joins her in the room and clears his throat as she stands in front of his desk. “Did you find them?”

She jumps slightly and turns around, a wide-eyed look on her face and she can’t quite meet his eyes. “I uh- yes…” 

_Dammit_. He rubs the back of his neck and grinds his teeth as they stand in the room in awkward silence.

“You uhm… you seem like you’re very thorough. That’s-that’s good. It’ll be helpful for us.”

Never in his life has he been embarrassed (not even his sixteenth birthday when his brother and cousin got him an Icha Icha magazine subscription). Seems as if Haruno Sakura likes to give him a lot of firsts. “I do my job well.”

More awkward silence.

Finally unable to take the quiet much longer, he asks her the one question that’s been burning in his mind since they first spoke. “How did you know I was following you?”

Her face takes on a bright red hue and she makes it a point to avoid his gaze more. “U-uhm… Well, actually… Ino was the first one to notice you. She likes to say she has a sixth sense for uh… ho- err guys and she first noticed you outside of the clinic one day when she came to pick me up for lunch.” She pauses, then, “And then… I just started seeing you in a lot of the places I went uhm… but then I got a call from Kabuto threatening me and after the fifth time I saw you during my morning run I kind of… figured he maybe hired you.”

Well, at least she didn’t think he was a stalker. Though, he’s not so sure now (there’s a _lot_ of photos of her). He’s trying to think of something to say or do to help the situation but he’s at a loss and he winces slightly when she asks,

“How long were you following me?”

“Kabuto hired me four months ago.”

Her lips part with a quiet, “Oh…” And then her wide eyes look into his. “You found all of this on Kabuto and Orochimaru in a _month_.”

Oh shit. “Yes.”

She blinks. “But you didn’t find anything on me… right?”

Oh shitshitshit. “No.” 

“So- so then- Sasuke, why did you follow me for so long?”

Because he’s unprofessional. Because even though he reported to Kabuto after the first month of tailing her that he found nothing, he still continued to pursue her because he was curious. And then he was in too deep. His shoulders are tense and he takes a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling through his nose. “It’s late, we should probably resume this tomorrow or after you get a hold of Tsunade.” He turns to the door and freezes when her hand tugs his shirt.

More silence.

He hears her let out a shaky breath. “I wanted to… I was going to- ugh, before the call I was planning on asking you out for tea or something. And uhm well _istillwantto_ ,” she finishes the sentence a little jumbled and too quickly but he catches it. 

Heart racing, he clenches a fist at his side. “It would be unprofessional, since you’re paying me to investigate someone.”

A beat passes and she whispers, “But I’m not.”

She’s not paying him.

As quickly as he can, he turns around, grips her face and crashes his lips to hers. She lets out a small squeak but quickly clutches his shirt and pulls him even closer. He’s breathing her in and walking her backwards until she hits the edge of his desk and then he grabs her legs and lifts her up to sit her on top of it. Long legs wrap around his waist and he deepens the kiss, tongue twirling with hers and her fingers dig in his hair. Their kiss is frenzied and needy and then they’re parting for air and he’s staring into her eyes, watching her pupils dilate.

“S-so, is that a yes?”

He merely nods and presses his lips to hers once more before removing himself from her legs. The last thing he wants to do is scare her off with his intense, burning need for her that’s built heavily over the past few months. They walk back into his living room in silence and she fiddles with the hem of her shirt, biting her lip.

“I have tomorrow off,” her face is beet red. “Uh, that is to say… I can stay a little longer if you want to- to go over the case some more...or...”

It takes him two steps and her legs wrap around his waist with ease as their lips and tongues collide again. And as he presses her into his bed and touches her with eager hands, he comes to the conclusion that yes, Haruno Sakura is fucking perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope ya'll enjoyed! I kind of like the idea of private investigator Sasuke, idk. The idea popped up while my fiance dragged me to four different ponds/lakes around our area to go fishin (when fishin is life you go rain or shine or basically freezing). Also, this could be like a stalkerish redux lol but he has a license so it's not stalking okuuurrrttt.
> 
> As always, thank you soso much for reading and comments/kudos are always appreciated!


	18. ghost-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> refer back to 13. ghost-ish for part one if you need a refresher :)

ghost _ish_ (part two)

Her life sucks.

Her life _officially fucking sucks_ and she’s going to _kill_ Naruto who is currently backing away and looking everywhere but her and-

“Naruto! Don’t you _dare leave!_ You fix this now! Naruto! Naru-”

“I-I _can_ fix this! I just have to- have to go consult with someone! Just- I’m sorry Sakura-chan but I- _imreallyreallysorry_!”

“No- Naruto! No! Dont- Don’t leave me in here!” He disappears from her bedroom and she shrieks. And shrieks.

“Screaming really isn’t productive,” comes a silky voice from behind her.

She snarls and turns to face the demon that has been _taunting_ her for the last four weeks first by moving her damn mug and then by-by-by just _existing in her mirrors_! 

“ _You!_ ”

A dark brow quirks, along with a slight curve of his lips. “Me?”

She starts to pace back and forth and back and forth, waving her hands rapidly as she angrily rants. “I should have just moved out! I shouldn’t have tried to help Naruto or _you_ because-because demons!? Fucking demons! And now-and now I’m- I'm what- _trapped_ in here with you?! How is this- I should have just moved. Left you and that damn idiot alone to do whatever you need to do and-and-”

He’s standing right in front of her, a hand reaching out to tuck a strand of pink hair behind her ear. She swallows and he leans in closer and she feels _warmwarmwarm_. 

“Wh-what are y-you-”

His eyes are blood red as his fingers trace to the back of her neck before gripping her tightly. He mutters in a low low voice, “You talk too much.”

“I-I-” His lips are barely a breadth away and she’s inhaling the scent of fire. 

“We’ll probably be here for a while.”

“Naruto-he-”

“Is an idiot as you stated and considering how long I’ve been in here…” His sentence hangs and his other hand slides along her lower back to rest at her hip. “You paint quite a pretty picture when you come from the shower, all wet and flushed from the hot water. Or when you get ready for bed and slip into that tiny-”

“Okay!” She shoves him backward. Or rather tries to. She mostly ends up just stumbling herself backward as he stands firmly in the spot. “You- you listen here you damn pervert! There will be no touching or-or bringing up anything like that! It’s just too much!”

It’s _too much_ and she's spiraling again just like last week when this all came to fruition . And now she’s stuck in this damn dimension or whatever they called it and she has no idea how long she’ll be stuck in here with _him_ and Naruto better hope it doesn’t take him long to figure this out or she will- well she’ll do something! And when _whenwhenwhen_ she gets out she’s never speaking to either of them ever again and-

“Hn. You think too much too.” 

He halts her pacing and presses his lips to hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this in like fifteen minutes lol. I'm sure I'll make a third part. Maybe. Eventually. :)
> 
> Also, wanted to run an idea by ya'll and see if it'd be interesting? Got an idea for Sakura to be a coroner and everyone is like demons and such and there's someone going around killing humans and demons and the Uchiha's are like ancient demons and are trying to stop the killings. So like Ino is a succubus, Kiba is a wolf, Naruto is a kitsune, Hyuugas are crazy old demons like the Uchihas. Sakura is not quite human, immune to toxins and bites and such. And her and Sasuke develop a relationship obvs as they search for the psycho demon (or human?) killing creatures alike.
> 
> Idk. Got a super rough outline written up and didn't know if it would spark any interest. Also it would be in depth and idk if I have the willpower for that lol. but we'll see cause the idea kept me up in the late hours of the night like most of my stories do.


	19. fireproof-ish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> our boy sasuke doesn't just put out fires, he starts them.

fireproof _ish_

The kids are bouncing all around her, completely thrilled and animated and she’s having a difficult time keeping them in line and she might be regretting her decision to bring them here. When the fire station finally comes into view, the children break out into a run and she rolls her eyes, before catching up to them and claps three times. All kids immediately freeze and turn towards her.

“Hey! What did I tell you about running? Do you want to turn back around?” When they rapidly shake their heads, she continues, “Okay, now be on your best behavior. I know this is exciting, but we are visitors and we need to be respectful.”

“Yes, Sakura-san,” they say in unison. 

“Good, now let me find- gah!” She’s immediately engulfed in a bear hug and is swung around. The little humans surround them and giggle when her feet plant back on the ground. Shooting a small glare at the grinning man, she smoothes out her sundress. “Class, this is Naruto, he’ll be giving us a tour of the firehouse!”

“Yay~!”

“What’s up brat-

“ _Naruto!_ ”

“-s-ehh kids. Where should we start?” Several suggestions erupt at the same time and he chuckles. “Alright, follow me!” 

“Oh, wait! Before you go, let me get a picture of everyone.” She pulls out her phone from her small purse and ushers her class to stand around Naruto. Some of the other firefighters grin and pose in the background as she snaps a couple of photos. “Okay, remember- be respectful and listen to Naruto!”

She sends a copy to her group chat and Ino instantly sends a message back.

_Ino: Uhm who’s the fine ass hottie in the background?_ 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀

_Tenten: no one wants to hear about your fugly bf_ 🤨

Laughing, she sends a reply.

_Sakura: uh yeah pig stop telling us how hot Kiba is_

_Ino: Fuck you two my boyfriends a fucking snack._ 😛

_Ino: And so is that other guy the tall guy with black hair beside Kiba_ 👀 👀

She zooms in on the picture going through the faces she knows and one she doesn’t and- oh. _Oh damn_. He's not looking at the camera, rather it appears he was just passing through... she looks up and around but doesn’t see him. How did she even miss him in the first place? 

_Hinata:_ 🤔 _Naruto said someone just transferred over_

_Ino: Oooooh yeah I think Kiba said something about that too_

She’s about to reply when she hears shrieks. Wondering if being a teacher was the best choice of career, she walks towards noise and rolls her eyes as she comes across several kids running up the stairs. 

“What did I say about running!”

They freeze and begin to slowly walk up the steps and she smiles softly, watching them slide down the fireman’s pole with Naruto up top and Kiba catching them at the bottom. Her phone dings again.

_Ino: snap another picture!_

_Sakura: uhhh no? Wtf_

_Ino: PLEAAAASSSEEEE_

_Hinata: you have plenty of photos of Kiba on your phone, Ino. quit being thirsty_ 🙄

She bursts out laughing, unaware of the gaze on her.

_Tenten: DAMN Hina! LOL_

_Ino: Hinnaaaa_ 🥺 🥺 _so mean._

_Ino: But srsly forehead. GET ME A PIC_

Ino won’t let this go. Dammit. Nonchalantly, she glances around, trying to find him and- there and wow yeah, okay. She fixates on him, watching as he cleans the firetruck, biceps bulging from him soaping up the truck with a rag. Black hair falls around him in spikes and the navy blue _Konoha Fire Department_ shirt clings to him like a second skin. As discreetly as she can, she angles herself to make it seem like she’s taking pictures of the kids and snaps a photo and _oh shit he’s looking right at her._ Stay calm. Stay calm. She tilts her phone down a little more, still making it seem like she’s photographing her class because obviously what else would she take a picture of (certainly not the fireman still staring at her with a brow raised). Moving to the left, she takes a few more pictures of the tiny humans sliding down the pole.

After a moment (and making sure his attention is back on the truck and wow wouldn't she love to have him hose her down) she sends the image and... ah what the hell. It’s just between the girls.

“Sakura-san!”

She jumps, startled and fumbles with her phone unsuccessfully and it drops to the matted floor. Before she can pick it up, a massive group of her kids bounce around her and she’s being dragged up the stairs.

“Sakura-san! Sakura-san! It’s so much fun! Slide down with us!”

“Uhh- I don’t think that’s a good idea-”

“Ne, Sakura-chan, it’s a great idea! Right bra- aahh kids!” He rubs the back of his neck and grins sheepishly. 

When her hands are free she stands next to Naruto and peaks over the opening in the floor as they continue to slide down. 

“I’m in a dress, I don’t really think-”

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, Sak.”

_Fuck you, Kiba_ is on the tip of her tongue but she bites it back and glares down. “I’ll be sure to tell Ino that.” He winks at her and catches two little girls, who giggle and blush before skipping back up the stairs. 

And several pairs of eyes (including Naruto god) glisten, big and puppy-like. A little resigned, she relents and Naruto helps her grip the metal and as carefully as she can, she tries to tuck her dress in between her legs. 

“Hey Kiba, come here for a sec!”

“Wait- what- Kiba ergh!” 

“You’ll be fine, Sakura-chan. It’s not that far.”

Fine. At least Kiba won’t get an eyeful. She wraps a leg around the pole and brings the other one around, letting out a squeal as she slides down it. She hears cheering from the littles and she’s just shy of the floor, trying to set her foot on the ground when she feels warm hands on her waist. Her cheeks blaze when she glances back to see _not Kiba_ and lets go of the pole, letting him steady her. 

“T-thanks.” 

She’s staring into intense dark eyes, unable to look away.

“Sakura-san! Do it again! Sakura-san!” Two kids pull at her.

“O-okay, okay.”

She takes two steps.

“Sakura-san.” _Oh shit._

Gulping, she looks back at the tall fireman (who is currently igniting a fire inside her). “Hmm?” Her hearts skips a beat when he hands over her phone and she shakily takes the it from his hand and immediately blanches.

The screen is open. Frozen on her messages. Specifically her group chat where the last message sent was a picture of him and- 

_Sakura: he can put out my fires any day_ 🔥 🔥 🔥 🥵

Shit shit shit shit shit.

Oh god oh god oh god.

"Th-thank you," she barely manages to wheeze out and _god how humiliating is this_. Damn Ino and her persistency.

He studies her for a moment and then he leans forward, breath and lips grazing her ear and says in a hushed murmur, "You can slide down my pole any day." 

Too stunned to do anything, she watches as he walks away with a smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YALLLLLL. 
> 
> I could do some serious damage with firefighter Sasuke. hollylyyyyyheeeecccck. Or maybe it's just me? That's fair lol. Also, I will never not write about Ino's thirstometer. No ragretsssss.
> 
> Ya'll are the best! Comments/kudos always appreciated (I love talking with ya'll)! Thank you for reading!! :)


	20. fireproof-ish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOL WE'RE ALL SO THIRSTY FOR FIREFIGHTER SASUKE. I love it.
> 
> Also, this is a semi-roller coaster, idk what happened my fingers just typed and typed and bam. Here we are.

fireproof _ish_ (part two)

He already can’t stop looking her way because she’s absolutely beautiful and then she laughs at something on her phone and his gaze fixates on her even more. When she looks up, he averts his eyes back in front of him and _focus Uchiha not like you’ve never seen a woman before_ (although none as pretty as she). He’s starting to lather up the truck when he hears the click of a camera and turns back towards her. She’s taking photos of the children but for a second it seems like she snapped a photo of him. 

Hn.

He studies her as she continues to snap photos, smiling brightly, and then drops the rag, wiping off his hands, thinking maybe he can go talk to her except _what the fuck will he say_. Suigetsu always said he was an awkward asshole…Karin was the only other woman he bothered to spend time with and he’s not sure what it is about _her_ but… He hears the children call out her name and watches as she drops her phone and the kids drag her up the stairs. 

Perfect.

He goes to pick up the phone, catching part of the conversation between her, Naruto, and Kiba ( _nothing he hasn’t seen before what the fuck?_ ) and then- He blinks and a smirk curves on his face. 

Her phone froze on her screen and he sees a picture of himself (he knew it) followed by a message-

_Sakura: he can put out my fires any day_ 🔥 🔥 🔥 🥵

-and then Kiba gets called away. Not one to pass up such a _perfect_ opportunity, he observes her trying to tuck in her dress and slides down the pole with a small squeal, stopping just short of the ground, small feet trying to touch the mat. He places his hands on her waist (how is it possible that they fit perfectly), helping her down. Her face reddens beautifully and they spend a moment staring at each other because now he’s nervous and dammit, the kids are calling her again, dragging her away.

_Fucking do it, Uchiha. Don’t be a coward._

He calls out her name and it rolls off his tongue like he’s spoken it his whole life. She’s breathtaking looking at him with wide, green eyes and her blush deepens as he hands her the phone. Then she tenses and the blush sinks, her face going a little paler as she barely manages to stutter out a _thank you_ and before she can leave, he leans forward, mouth brushing her ear,

“You can slide down my pole any day,” and walks away with a smirk, heart pounding in his chest _did he really just fucking say that but fuck yes she can_ , and resumes washing the truck.

He’s caught her eyes several times throughout the remainder of the time they’re at the station and it appears that she’s fixed her phone somewhat because she’s been intently focused on it, sending what he assumes are texts (perhaps in regards to the message she sent). He’s just finished hosing down the truck and the children are all lining up, getting ready to head back to school. She says something to Naruto who grins and begins to tell the kids a story and she’s walking over to him. Heart pounding, he stares as she stands a few feet away, hands clasped behind her back, pink hair flowing slightly from the breeze. 

“So… I’m Sakura.”

“Sasuke.” 

He focuses on the way she’s chewing on her lip and the way her chest rises as she inhales. 

“I was- ah, would you like to go out for tea sometime?”

Eyes snap back up to hers, heart in overdrive and his throat is dry.

“Yes,” is all he can manage and _fucking awkward indeed_.

She’s grinning, biting her lip a little harder and she takes a step forward, giving him a once over before she reaches into his front pocket and pulls out his phone. He tries not to show just how much that affects him and regards the way she taps their phones together.

“There’s my number and now I have yours,” she delicately tucks his phone back in his pocket, fingers playing along the edge. “Let me know when your next free day is.”

He lets out a shaky breath as she walks away and shifts uncomfortably, trying to calm down his nerves that feel like they’re on fire and it only blazes more when she gives him a smile that sends a thrill down his spine. 

Moving to Konoha was the best decision he ever made.

* * *

“So?? Did you do it?”

Three sets of eyes stare inquisitively at her.

She squeals and buries her head in her hands. “Yeah.”

“You did! Hell yeah!” 

“What did he say?”

She lets out an ecstatic, “Yes!!”

“ _And_? So when are you two going on a date?”

“Well, I told him to let me know when his next free day is- don’t give me that look pig. I know their schedules are crazy and-” her phone dings and she opens the message. “He just said he’s free Sunday,” she says a little out of breath.

Silence, then,

“So we have four days to get you ready for the best fucking of your life-”

“Ino! I am _not_ going to sleep with him on the first date!” Well, she won’t _plan_ on it, anyway. 

“-and puh-lease. He basically told you you could. Ugh, fine. Be that way. Now then, what will you wear?”

* * *

Humming, Sakura strolls down the street towards the firehouse, already hearing the sounds of children eagerly awaiting for the festivities ahead to begin. It’s the annual _KFD Charity Festival_ and she’s brought her homemade daifuku, dango, and (newly added) onigiri to sell at the bake sale. A few people greet her as she walks up and she smiles ( _S_ _akura! Yosh, I cannot wait to buy some of your wonderful treats! Thank you, Lee_ ) as she approaches the station kitchen, setting down her bags, opening the onigiri first to check and-

“Excuse you, sir!” She huffs as he snatches one up and takes a bite. “You’re going to have to pay for that.”

The way his eyes glint has her stomach in flutters. “And if I don’t, Sakura- _sensei_?” He takes another bite.

After a moment’s beat, she tries to say without a blush and with utter confidence, “Three weeks detention.” His eyes darken more and there’s a hotness traveling through her body.

“Three weeks? Seems a little excessive.” He leans against the counter, a slight smirk playing on his sharp features. 

“Stealing onigiri isn’t the only crime you’ve committed.” She distracts her frazzling nerves by organizing the treats and tightening up the small baggies.

“And what else have I done to deserve such a sentence?”

“You keep starting fires,” god Ino would flip her shit if she could hear her, “and you aren’t putting them out.” She hears him scoff and bites her lip to keep from grinning.

A hand snakes around her waist and she’s tugged against his warm warm body. “Hn. If I recall,” his breath ghosts her neck, “you were the one who started the fire last time and left before we could do anything about it.”

She giggles, unable to continue with the farce, and he rolls his eyes, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, tightening his grip.

Hesitating for a minute, she quietly states, “I’ve missed you…” 

“Aa.” He sets the rice ball down and brushes his fingers along her red cheek, guiding their lips together. 

Sakura sighs, content and presses her body further into his. They’ve only been dating a few short months (most of which he’s been gone for) but it feels like years somehow. He left at the beginning of summer to go back to Oto for family matters but even when he returned, they’ve barely been able to spend any time together during the summer, with him working overtime and her teaching summer school and preparing for the upcoming semester... Although, what little time they did spend together ( ~~she did in fact slide down his pole~~ )... her body tingles as his hand slides down to grip her ass and he delves his tongue deeper and-

She’s abruptly pushed away and eyes flicker rapidly, still dazed from the kiss and warmth and what the-

“Oh, don’t stop on my account,” comes Ino’s amused voice.

-oh, of course. He grunts and she purses her lips, tossing a glare at her best friend who’s grinning madly.

“I’ll see you out there,” and taking the remains of the onigiri he swiped, Sasuke heads out of the kitchen.

“Dammit, pig! I haven’t seen him in so _long_.”

“Ugh, like I don’t already know, you’ve only been whining about it for weeks.”

She blows a raspberry and they pick up the tubs, ready for the bake sale.

“So what’s this about you starting a fire?”

She screeches, “How long were you spying on us!?”

“Long enough to realize Kiba and I are doing our role-playing _all_ wrong. Damn, forehead. I never knew you had it in you but also that was hot as fuck, seriously, I think you need to teach me some stuff.”

Groaning, she walks ahead of the laughing blonde, face aflame. 

* * *

The sound of Naruto’s snores ring throughout the small room and Sasuke sighs, turning over on his back to stare at the ceiling. Fucking idiot. He’s half tempted to slam a pillow in his face, but that would lead to an argument and he’s frankly a little too tired for that. Closing his eyes, he lets the image of Sakura at the festival fill his mind and her laugh begins to filter over Naruto’s snoring-

The fire alarm blares through the speakers, instantly waking everyone. He jumps down from the cot and starts throwing on his uniform when the address of the fire is said through the intercom-

His blood runs _cold_.

“Fuck, that’s-”

“Fuck _shit_! _Hurry the fuck up_!” 

They can’t get there fast enough. The entire building is ablaze, engulfed in orange and yellow flames and black smoke. Pulse thrashing, he sees Ino running up to Kiba in tears and he grabs the climbing gear.

“She’s not answering her phone! She-”

“We’ll get her, she’ll be fine,” he tries to soothe out, looking back at Sasuke with a grim expression.

_Fuck_.

“Teme! Where the hell do you think you’re-”

“The fuck you think I’m going, Naruto? Tell me you wouldn’t do the same damn thing.”

It’s an intense stare down and the blonde grinds his teeth (because yes he’d be doing the same damn thing no questions asked) before jerking his head for him to go. “Kakashi’s going to have your ass.”

“Like I give a fuck,” and he takes off towards the back of the building because time is _wasting away_. He’s wrapping the gear around his waist and preparing to climb when Ino comes up to him. Wordlessly, she places an earbud in his ear and shoves her phone is one of the pockets. 

" _Hello! Ino!_ ”

His heart seizes. “Sakura!”

_“S-Sasuke? Oh my god, Sasuke I-_ ” she’s coughing and heaving. 

Fuck. “I’m on my way up to you.”

_“Wha-what-”_ cough and a small scream when something crashes _“Sasuke, I-I-”_ she’s coughing too much and her voice is rough.

He grips the balcony above him and pulls up, latching the carabiner to the next level. “Where are you?

_“I-I’m in my- my room-_ ”

“Is your door hot?”

_“Ye-yes- I’ve alrea- already blocked the cra-cracks-”_

“Good, that’s very good Sakura,” he grunts, lifting himself onto the next patio. “I’m almost there, stay as close to the balcony as you can and stay towards the gro-”

There’s another loud crash and she screams.

His heart drops. “Sakura!” 

Nothing.

“ _S_ _akura_!”

Fuck fuck fuck _fuck_.

Two more floors before he reaches hers. Just two more. When he arrives, he hauls himself up and _god fuck_ half her room is erupting in flames, ceiling slightly caved in and her door is locked. Gripping his ax, he smashes it against the handle and tests it. It pulls slightly and as carefully as he can, he slides open the door enough to make it through before sliding it back shut, eyes searching searching-

“Sakura!” 

She’s crumpled on the ground and he picks her up, shielding her from the flames licking around them. He takes a deep breath and slides the door open once again, just enough to get them both out and the fire is growing growing- he slams it shut and drops to his knees. 

“Sakura!” Helmet ripped off, he places his cheek next to her lips and she’s breathing, it’s ragged and slow but _she’s breathing._

“Sasuke!”

He peers over the edge. Naruto is directing the ladder towards him and once it’s in range, he cradles her in his arms and cautiously grabs a hold of the ladder before making the climb down. Once they’re on the ground, he rushes her towards the ambulance and _she needs oxygen_ and Ino’s running towards them. He doesn’t want to let her go and leave her but the fire still needs to be taken care of and once Ino is beside them, he goes in the direction he needs _but doesn’t want_ to be in. 

It takes two more fire trucks arriving to quell the flames and he’s bone tired by the time they reach the station again but the only thing he can think of is getting to the hospital and seeing Sakura. He discards his gear and is about to head out when Kakashi steps in front of him. They both sigh.

“How long?”

“Three weeks seems like a fair sentence.”

Sasuke tries not to twitch at the blatant teasing and creasing of the chiefs eyes, mask moving with his mouth. How the _hell_ \- fuck it. Who cares. He gathers his clothes and bag, taking his suspension with no arguments and most definitely not giving the old pervert any reaction. Naruto stops him before he exits and they set out for the hospital.

* * *

The moment her eyes open, Ino lunges on her, squeezing and crying out _thankgodohmygod_ over and over. She breathes in through the oxygen tubes and squeezes her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from rolling down her face. Her mind is swimming and _what happened what happened_. She remembered talking with Sasuke. Her eyes snap open again and she finds him instantly, sitting in one of the chairs, gaze intent on her.

The tension in his shoulders eases and when he blinks, his eyes soften ever so slightly. 

Naruto is next and he clings to her with a bear-like grip and then Tsunade walks in and berates him _brat she’s already having difficulty breathing that’s not helping_. Once her vitals are ran, Tsunade okays the tubes to come out and her lungs feel a little heavy from the inflammation and she’ll cough for a while and her voice is a little raspy but she’s okay. S _he’s okay_. A hand rests atop her head and she shares a look with her godmother, unshed tears shining in honey-colored eyes. 

“You’re clear to leave the hospital,” she says softly and in an even gentler voice asks, “Do you know where you’ll be staying?”

Trying not to think about exactly what that means, she opens her mouth to say she’ll probably stay with Ino when-

“She’s staying with me.”

All eyes fixate on Sasuke, whose jaw is firm and eyes are set and really no one is going to argue with him, not even Ino, who merely nods with a small twinkle in her eyes.

“I’ll bring some clothes and necessities by tomorrow.”

-and her stomach flutters as she sits up with the help of Tsunade. 

When they arrive at his apartment, she showers and scrubs off the smoke and ash from her skin, trying to keep the thoughts at bay because she’s okay, she’s _okay_. She smiles softly because the clothes he set out smell like him and it’s comforting until she gets a small whiff of smoke and-

_She’s fine_.

He’s making tea in the kitchen and she glances around his apartment, taking in the clean, organized manner everything is set in and the simple shades of black and white. A vast difference from her apartment that looks like a color palette threw up and her stomach lurches-

_She’s okay_.

Obsidian eyes search her face. “Sakura.”

“I’m fine,” she replies softly, trying not to strain her throat. 

He studies her a moment longer, shaking his head and grabs her wrist, crashing her into his chest. Voice barely above a whisper, he says, “I don’t know what I would do if… fuck I was scared.” 

The tears are stinging. “I-I’m here, Sasuke. I’m okay,” her voice cracks.

“Sakura.”

“I’m fine.”

A soft sigh. “Sakura…”

He holds her, secure and safe in his arms as she breaks down and cries and cries and cries.

* * *

She’s still in his clothes even though Ino dropped off a suitcase full earlier. Not that he minds. Quite the opposite in fact and his desire for her starts to simmer more, the image of her waking up beside him in bed still fresh in his mind. She hangs up his phone and sets it on the coffee table, leaning back on the sofa with a long exhale.

“They’re splitting my class between Ino, Ten, and Hina. Anko said they’ll give me as much time as I need.” She glances at him. “How long did Kakashi suspend you for?”

“Three weeks,” he smirks at the blush rising on her face.

“Did everyone hear our conversation…” she grumbles out. “Ugh. So, what are we going to do for three weeks? I guess I need to…” she starts to name off different tasks and things she needs to get done...

She pauses and her blush deepens when he crawls over her, pressing her back into the couch. “I can think of a few things…” he murmurs and grazes his lips along the curve of her neck before capturing her mouth with his, muffling her response with his tongue.

He breaks their kiss and pushes up his shirt to her neck, planting his lips over her stomach, tongue running along the valley between her breasts and he nips at them, sucking the growing buds of her nipples. Rolling his tongue over a bud, he adjusts their bodies to take off the sweatpants and kisses and nips his way down down _down-_

“ _O-oh_! Sas-hmmm.” 

Her nails dig into his hair and he licks at her slick, hot core.

She’s panting. “I seem to mmm- remember someone st-stealing a rice ba-ah!,” her thighs clench around his neck and he hums against her, feeling the tremors as he continues to explore her with his tongue. 

“Aa. I suppose you’re wanting payment?”

She makes a strangled noise.

“Is this not payment enough, Sakura- _sensei_?” He sucks on her clit for a second and she whimpers, breath puffing.

“I-I told you-” lick “you keep starting fi-ah-” suck “fires and no-not” lick “putting them out.”

He inserts two fingers and smirks when she mutters out a string of curses. His tongue runs over his mouth, watching her watch him with hooded eyes as he cleans off her juices and brings his head to hers, noses brushing, pumping his fingers in and out in a languid pace.

“I’ll gladly take my punishment but,” he can feel her walls starting to convulse, “I have to admit it’s not fair.”

_In._

“Wh-what-”

_Out._

She’s trembling, barely uttering out, “Fair?”

_In._

“Aa.”

_Out_.

He rubs her clit with his thumb, fixating on her lips parting and the way she comes undone around his fingers, throbbing and quivering. He doesn’t give her much time to catch her breath before discarding the remainder of their clothes and thrusts into her, smothering her cry with a hard kiss. His pace is wild and burning and it’s not long before they’re both climaxing in a world of stars and white-hot heat and he lays his sweat-coated forehead against hers and whispers out,

“This fire will never go out, Sakura.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen. Don't @ me for any inaccuracies mkay. I did my best to remember good fire safety measures. and WELL. Guess I'll be writing about FRFGHTR!Sasuke again. You thirsty mfers (there's so much good content with it tho I ain't mad yaknow) lol but for real. 
> 
> Hope ya'll enjoyed! 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Comments/kudos/all that jazz welcomed and appreciated! Love ya'll; you're amazing!!! :)


	21. moral-ish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i haven't forgotten about my themes lol. please enjoy this senseless, self-indulgent garbage. 
> 
> this is mature: details of self touchy touchy and sexy times are ahead.

moral _ish_

This is wrong. This is so morally, undeniably inappropriate and _wrong_. But she’s frozen. Unable to move, breathe, blink as she takes in the image before her. The image that should be _her_ because it’s her mirror but apparently it’s one of those weird two-way mirrors and instead of seeing _her_ reflection she’s seeing— she’s—

He strips off his shirt and her mouth dries faster than a water droplet in the desert. 

She needs to _move_ and _stop staring_ at this innocent (with that body? more like _sinful_ ), unsuspecting man who has no idea she can see him through her mirror. But instead of her body moving, her eyes move and rake over every crevice of his chest, abs, arms, taking in all the definition and oh, he’s turning and _oh_ his back muscles are—

His pants drop and she finally does move, except not in the way she _needs_ to move. Her hand goes to her chest like it’s going to protect her heart from beating straight out of her body. 

_Fuck_.

She could bounce a quarter off that ass. 

Her lip splits from the pressure of her teeth digging into her flesh and blood flows into her mouth but it hardly registers in her mind because all she can think about is the sweat droplets sliding down his hard muscles and how much she wants to take her tongue and follow that delicious path and he’s turning around and _she can’t breathe_.

 _Oh my god_.

She’s blinking now, eyes fluttering like she’s taking snapshot after snapshot after snapshot of the hot, naked, _aroused_ man before her. 

He’s taking in deep breaths of air and she watches wide-eyed as his abdominals flex, as his chest rises, and he settles his hands on either side of the counter. Dark locks fall around him, some sticking to his face from the sweat coating his perfect _perfect_ body and her fingers twitch to reach out, brush it back, tug at it, feel it slide through her fingers.

But of course she _can’t_. Because there’s a mirror in the way. A mirror that she needs to _cover up_ before this gets any more– any– 

His right hand moves and encloses around his cock and she thinks she might die from the sheer _aching_ fire that is coursing through her, tightening her nipples and spiraling between her legs, pulsing pulsing _pulsing_. His hand moves in a slow stroke and she chokes on a whimper when his thumb brushes over the swollen tip. She can see the fluids glistening and unconsciously, her hand travels over her breast, down her stomach, and toys with the hem of her pajama pants. Her swallow is audible and she becomes aware of the path her hand is going when she brushes over her outer lip. She quickly retracts it, fisting it against her stomach.

_This is wrong. She needs to–_

He spreads some of his fluids around and starts moving in slow, steady strokes.

_She needs to go back to bed–_

His jaw clenches and his lips part, his pace picking up and her heart rate speeds with it. Her mind shuts down when he looks up and his breath lightly fogs the mirror. His dark dark eyes are trained straight ahead and it’s like he’s _looking at her_ but that’s impossible because– well, two-way mirrors don’t really work like that right? Only one person can see the other and she kept her bathroom light off because her headache was pounding and the last thing she needed was light and _he can’t see her_.

She hopes to god he can’t see her.

His lips move, forming a curse, and his eyes close. Sharp, handsome features twist in absolute pleasure and she wonders who he’s thinking of. Who’s going through his mind as his hand moves firmly up and down his long, thick cock. She swallows again, eyes fixated on the movements of his hand and the sweat droplets that are glistening on his skin. She sees his other hand grip the counter edge tightly and his shoulders begin to tense. 

Now would be a great time to walk away because watching someone touch themselves is one thing, but she could at least say she didn’t see the _whole_ time— his jaw clenches, then softens, his lips parting and throat moving in what she can only imagine is a deep deep groan and his pace quickens, sporadic and then his head lifts to the ceiling, shoulders rolling and he spills himself, taking the sticky white with him as he pumps a few more times.

His chest is heaving and so is hers.

He moves to turn on the shower.

When he disappears behind the black curtain she snaps out of her daze and bolts to her bedroom, sliding under her sheets, body trembling.

_What the fuck did she just do?!_

Oh god. She’s a pervert. 

A peeping tom. 

A… a fucking _voyeur_.

How is she going to face him? Granted, she did just move into the complex not that long ago and while they’ve interacted quite a few times... it does not give her the right to– to– be a damn pervert and watch as he touches himself in the privacy of his bathroom where _no one_ should be watching him.

Groaning, she smothers her face in a pillow.

Tomorrow, she’ll go to the landlord and she’ll get it fixed.

And then she’ll forget she ever did such a horrendous thing.

(but first she _needs_ to take care of the near painful ache that a cold shower or willpower will not fix and tries desperately to think of anything _but_ him but fails so miserably and she comes spectacularly and she feels like a fucking degenerate)

* * *

“Kakashi?” She raps on the door a couple of times, peering into the office. 

He looks up at her and his eyes crinkle from the smile hiding under his mask. “Sakura, what a lovely surprise. What can I do for you?” 

Clearing her throat, she steps in and takes a deep breath. Her cheeks are heating fast but she has to do this, has to get this fixed. “Um, so I noticed something… last night– about– about my apartment and uh it involves my bathroom and… um I uh…” 

He tilts his head, still smiling. 

It makes her more nervous. But really, who installs a two-way mirror in an apartment? So… it’s not _her_ fault per se… at least not in the sense that– oh for fuck’s sake.

“The mirror in my bathroom is a two-way mirror.”

He blinks, calm. “Oh?”

She stutters, uncertain if he heard her or isn’t understanding what she means because his reaction is not really what she expected.

“Um yeah– yes, I can uh… I uh saw…” She shakes her head _just spit it out_. “I can see my neighbor and um you know it’s inappropriate and really weird that such a thing is even in my apartment in the first place and I… I just would like it fixed, please.”

“I see. That does sound troubling.” His voice is casual and he moves at a snail's pace to pick up a maintenance order and starts to write her information down. 

“Um and if you could— uh could maybe not tell Sasuke? I don’t want— I don’t want things to be weird, you know?” 

“Of course, Sakura. I’ll just tell him there’s some electrical work,” he winks at her. “You’ll be fixed in no time.”

Relief washes over her and she thanks him before retreating to her home. The mirror will be gone and replaced with a _normal_ one and she can put this whole… _situation_ behind her. 

* * *

She hates Kakashi. _Hates him._ The lying, lazy, _lying_ asshole!

_Get it fixed in no time._

It’s been three weeks! And this is the tenth time in the last few days she’s tried getting a hold of Kakashi and he seems to be either avoiding her or is very good at never being available when he says he is. 

She figures it’s probably a mixture of both and groans, cracking her fist against the door.

“Are you okay, Sakura?”

Her shoulders tense and she takes a deep breath, turning away from the locked door to see Sasuke leaning against the threshold of the mailroom. He’s wearing the hoodie and sweatpants she watched him get dressed in earlier.

Forcing a smile, she straightens up. “I’m fine, just a little frustrated with our landlord. He said he’d fix uh– fix something in my apartment and it’s still not fixed.” She lets out a huff. 

His eyes are trained on hers and she tries not to fidget.

“I can probably help you out if you’d like. I’m pretty handy.”

Oh, she knows exactly how _handy_ he can be– 

No!

With a shake of her head, she takes a few steps away from him to the entrance doors. Heat seeps through her and her heart palpitates. 

“It’s okay, Sasuke. I don’t want to inconvenience you. It’s really not that big of a deal.” Except it is. It’s a huge fucking deal and she wants to sob because she apparently has no self-control and is the worst kind of pervert. 

He pushes himself off the doorway and strides over to her, brow quizzical. “Are you sure? I know Kakashi and he’s always been late at doing anything. I’ve helped out a few times around here, so I can–” 

“No!” She winces at the urgent, high pitch her voice came out in. “It’s really– It’s just kind of an annoyance, you know? I can wait, though.” 

“If you’re sure…?” 

His niceness is making her feel all the more guilty and she tries to offer a smile that does not look pained because of the proximity of his body next to hers and not strained from resisting the urge to ask him to get handy with her.

“Really, it’s fine. Thank you for offering, Sasuke. That’s sweet of you.”

He averts his eyes and shrugs with one shoulder, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“Well um… I’m gonna go for my run now. So I’ll… see you later, I guess.”

Onyx looks back at her and his brow furrows. “You usually run in the mornings.” 

He flinches slightly but she doesn’t notice, having been paying rapt attention to the way his tongue is smoothing over his lips. 

“Sakura?”

She jolts and she thanks the heavens she’s wearing a loose crop top because her nipples are pebbling. “Oh! Well yes, normally, but I wanted to try and catch Kakashi and I thought maybe if I switched up my schedule… but obviously that didn’t work, so...”

The air feels tense, she feels overheated, and the image of him coming out of the shower this morning is playing on repeat. 

“Anyway, I better go before it gets too dark. Bye, Sasuke!”

She runs out the door.

* * *

Sakura keeps telling herself she’ll cover it up, it’s for the best after all. But again, she has zero self control and she stares into the unholy mirror. What would he say if he knew she watched him shower? Watched him get ready for work? Watched him _masterbate_? 

(his toilet is out of sight thank you very much and there is never a day or time in which she sees _that_ because she is _not_ that kind of pervert, okay)

Guilt pours over her like heavy rain and she tightens her hold on the blanket willing herself to just fucking _cover it up_.

She nearly comes out of her skin when his light switches on and he walks in, shirtless and sweating _of course_. Probably coming back from the gym (she finds he likes to work out late in the evenings). He glances at the mirror before he moves to turn on his shower.

Sometimes she thinks he can see her, too. Just the way he _looks_ into the mirror, the way his eyes darken and fill with so much intensity like he’s devouring her, and she’s not proud of it but those looks often fuel the many, many nights she imagines him over her, whispering in her ear, rocking his hips into hers– 

Her head clunks against the mirror before she forces herself out of the bathroom and turns off the light.

* * *

Sakura’s heart flutters when Sasuke opens the door and nervously, she hands him the small plate. 

“I brought you some onigiri for the inconvenience.” 

Kakashi _finally_ showed up at her door out of the blue, _seven weeks_ after her request, and she hurriedly sent Sasuke a text to let him know what was going on, claiming the electricity ruse and why Kakashi needed to take out the mirror (she couldn’t bear to tell him to his face for fear she’d pass out from mortification and shame). 

And now Kakashi is hammering away in her bathroom, taking off the mirror that connects to Sasuke’s apartment.

He rolls his eyes, a small smirk playing on his lips. “It’s not an inconvenience, Sakura. I’m just glad that lazy idiot is finally repairing it.”

He closes the door after she walks through, taking the plate, and motions to his couch. She glances around his apartment (having only seen his bathroom, she figured he was a simple man and she was not wrong). Everything is neat, organized, and in colors of dark grey and splashes of navy and red. The couch is a charcoal sectional with red pillows and she tries very hard to not think about him fucking her into the cushions as she sits on them (they are quite soft, she really wouldn’t _mind_ getting fucked into oblivion on them).

Clearing her throat, she anxiously taps her fingers on her knees, waiting for him to emerge from the kitchen. 

“You like green tea, right?”

“Yes, thank you.”

He nods and sets down her plate and two cups on the coffee table before sitting next to her, knees bumping against hers. Her eyes dart up to him, watching as he rolls his shoulders and rubs a hand on the back of his neck. When his gaze meets hers, her cheeks start to burn and she distracts herself with the tea. The sound of Kakashi’s drill echoes in his apartment and pierces into the increasingly tense air. 

“I started watching that documentary you told me about the other day.”

She perks up, excited. “Really?”

A smirk spreads on his face from her enthusiasm and they fall into a conversation about the documentary, which eases into conversing about their jobs, and soon their discussion is revolving around why they chose their occupations, their likes and dislikes. Sakura kind of feels like she’s on a date and she’d be ecstatic about that if the shame of her perversion wasn’t so heavy on her mind. 

The more she gets to know Sasuke the guiltier she feels for peering into his alone time, in the private moments of his apparently hectic life. Should she… tell him? Keeping this a secret– keeping it from him… They’ve developed a semblance of a friendship and shame just gnaws at her every time she sees him. 

A knock resounds and they glance at the door as their landlord opens it, peering in.

“Yo! I just need to pop in to seal everything on Sasuke’s side and I’ll be done.” 

Silence coats the room and she chews on the onigiri, mulling over her thoughts. What if he’s absolutely disgusted with her? Hates her for what she’s done? God, she doesn’t know if she could handle that. But… she sighs and looks at him only to have her heart leap, then tattoo heavily against her chest. He’s looking at her like when he’s in the bathroom, staring into his side of the mirror.

It’s almost impossible to tell his pupils from the onyx color of his eyes and they’re so intense, burning into her. Her nails dig into the edges of her shorts and she feels warm, light, her skin prickling. She doesn’t realize she’s leaning towards him until his breath ghosts her lips and a shaky breath releases from her mouth.

“Alright, you two are good to go.”

They both snap back and Sakura scoots to the very edge of the couch as Kakashi enters the living room. 

“I promise this mirror is completely one-sided and there’s a thick barrier between them now, essentially serving as a wall so there’s no need to worry about seeing each other anymore. You two enjoy the rest of your evening.” With a two finger wave, he shuts the door.

Sakura’s world is spinning, blood turning to ice.

_There’s no need to worry about seeing each other anymore._

What.

Her eyes flutter, mouth open and she slowly turns to Sasuke who is pale, tense, and glaring daggers into the door. His jaw clenches, muscle jumping when he casts his eyes to hers.

“You… you could– you could see me…?” She utters in a whisper, trying to process what this means.

The guilt that washes over his face mirrors the look she gives herself and she stands up abruptly, blood coursing and pounding in her ears and her shame is quickly dissolving into anger. 

“How long have you been able to see me, Sasuke?” Her voice is high, disbelieving, accusing.

“Sakura, I–” he winces and grinds his teeth. “Fuck, it’s not–”

“How long!”

His eyes squeeze shut and his head jerks as he grits out, “Since you moved in.”

Oh my god. Oh my god oh my god.

“Oh my– are you fucking kidding me? When did you tell Kakashi?”

He’s not looking at her and it infuriates her more. She’s spent _so many weeks_ guilt-tripping herself and he could fucking _see her too_? 

“Six weeks ago.”

A noise, strangled, shrill escapes her throat. _Six weeks ago_. He– he could see into her bathroom since she moved in and– and he never– He waited _longer_ to say anything.

“I don’t– I can’t believe you knew this _whole_ time and you never said anything?” She’s yelling, she’s sure his other neighbor can probably hear her.

He takes a deep breath, opening his eyes and levels a cool stare at her. “You never said anything either, Sakura.”

No. No no no no.

“No! You don’t– no. As soon as I found out, I talked with Kakashi! You waited a month and a half before you bothered with it. What the actual fuck, Sasuke?”

“I– fuck what was I supposed to do? I didn’t– it wasn’t on fucking purpose, okay? It just– I found out and then I waited too long and it was fucking awkward enough as it was telling Kakashi and–”

“Why did you wait!” 

“I don’t know– fuck. _I don’t know why_.” He runs a hand through his hair. “ _Shit_.”

If _she’s_ seen what she’s seen, then what the fuck has he seen? And all those times it was like he was staring at her, he actually _was_. 

“What have you _seen_?”

He snaps back, eyes narrowed. “What have _you_ seen?” 

“I– augh this is– Why didn’t you ever cover up the mirror!” She knows she’s projecting her guilt onto him and she asked herself that so many times and never found a good answer as to why not. 

But he doesn't let her place blame solely on him and retorts, “Why didn’t you?”

Tears prick her eyes out of frustration, embarrassment, shame, and a little bit of betrayal. She can’t _believe_ this. Burying her face in her hands, she tries to fight back the tears. He remains rooted to his spot, standing in front of the couch, hands clenched at his sides. The silence that passes over them is heavy and taut.

Taking several gulps of air, she tries to be rational. Tries to think past everything that’s burning through her and wipes at the tears streaming her cheeks. 

“Okay… so…” She swallows, looking up at the ceiling letting out a breath. “We can both admit we– we are in the wrong.”

She hears his inhalation. “Yes.”

“Okay and we– we can offer each other… pardons and agree this is an unusual situation and just– we can go our separate ways.” Her heart tinges in pain at the thought but there’s no way for them to overcome this, right?

“Yes... we can agree on that.”

“Okay.”

She grabs her plate and walks to the door.

“Sakura,” he takes another deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

She pauses in the threshold, head turning back just a little. “I’m sorry, too, Sasuke.”

* * *

She can’t sleep and she hasn’t stepped foot in her bathroom. Growling, she shoves the covers off her body and stomps to the accursed room. This is ridiculous. If Kakashi said he installed a regular, one-way mirror, she should believe him, right? But the small seed of doubt and _knowing_ – fuck fuck fuck.

Her reflection stares back at her, clearer than before. A sure sign that her side is normal. She can see the tangles in her hair, the red swelling her eyes from crying, the blotchiness of her cheeks, and the expression of hurt and humiliation. Shaking her head, she rinses her face off with cold water and stares and stares and stares at the image before her.

“Dammit!”

The rag lands on the floor in a less than satisfactory, noiseless thud and she storms out of her apartment, knocking on Sasuke’s door. She counts her erratic heartbeats and gets to twenty before he opens the door. He looks just as tired and deflated as her. And he’s shirtless.

She looks up, annoyed. “I can’t– I don’t– augh–” she inhales and whispers out, “I need to see your mirror.”

When she drops her eyes, he nods and steps to the side, letting her in. She pads to his bathroom and flips the switch on before inspecting his mirror. It doesn’t open. Kakashi did a good job on the sealing, she can plainly see just her reflection (and Sasuke’s as he stands behind her against the wall, watching) and just to be on the safe side, she does the finger trick she remembers seeing a long time ago.

Her hands rest on either side of the counter and a breath of relief emits from her. She hears him sigh.

“This is fucked up.”

A humorless laugh escapes her. All she can think about now is how he’s shirtless and how many times she’s seen him in this exact position, touching himself (and she wonders if he stood here because of the fact that he could see her and does that mean he was thinking of _her_ ). 

“Yeah, extremely fucked up.” 

Pushing herself off the counter, she turns and they stare at each other.

“Sakura…” He takes a hesitant step towards her.

A bittersweet smile twitches on her face. “I know, Sasuke. I am, too. Maybe we just… need some time, you know?”

His lips press together, eyes searching before he nods and tentatively tucks her hair behind her ear. The action shoots sparks from her ears to her toes and her skin erupts in goosebumps. 

“Um I should– I should… go…”

His adams apple bobs. “Yeah…”

Neither move.

She’s keenly aware of his hand, of his fingers behind her ear, stroking softly. That intense, smouldering look is back in his eyes and her breath is coming out heavier. The air shifts and a shiver rolls down her spine. 

In a flash, their lips smash together, teeth clanging and his tongue sweeps in her mouth. It’s messy and hungry as their desperation and need overcomes them. Sakura feels him backing her up and when her hips hit the counter, she winces, breaking their kiss. Her chest heaves and his pants mingles with hers and it’s only a few more seconds before their mouth meets again, bruising, hot, their tongues rolling over the other. 

His fingers dig into her hips, lifting her up to where her toes barely touch the floor. One hand slides under her shorts and moves in between her legs, finger sliding so _easily_. He pulls back, breathless.

“ _F_ _uck,_ Sakura, you–”

Chagrined, she gestures to his equally obvious arousal tenting his sweatpants. “Well so are you!”

Her toes curl when he kisses her again, tongue hot and slick over hers. Desperately, she tugs at his pants and she lifts her hips up so he can push her shorts down. She feels his tip slide against her and moans. His lips trail over her jaw and neck until he finds a spot that makes her shudder and through the nipping of his teeth, lapping of his tongue, he rasps out,

“You’re on birth control, right?”

“Yes,” she responds just as out of breath and circles her hand around his cock, sliding her hand up and down. 

He groans and sucks harder on her pulse.

Hazily, she guides him and shifts her hips. His fingers knead her flesh and he slowly pushes in. Her head is lobs back, hitting the newly installed mirror and one hand goes up to clutch the edge when he’s fully buried inside. Her walls contract and flex around him and then he moves, pulling out in a frustratingly unhurried pace. When he snaps his hips up, sinking further into her she lets out a mewl, burning pleasure rippling through her.

He sets a wild, frantic rhythm and her other hand wraps around his neck, digging into his shoulder as she holds on and rolls her hips against his. In the back of her mind she thinks Kakashi did a pretty good job because the mirror seems to be holding up pretty well– 

“Oh my _god yes_.” 

“ _Fuck_.”

She yanks him away from her neck and presses her lips to his before biting at his lower lip. His eyes are so dark and she can almost make out the onyx of his irises beneath his blown pupils. She wraps one leg around his waist and he jerks one hand from her thigh, moving it under her shirt. She utters _yes yes yes_ when he rolls her nipple between his thumb and forefinger and she feels the pressure building, the fire pooling deep deep _deep_.

“Sas _uke_ –”

He gasps. “Sakura– I can’t– fuck I need to slow down–”

She shakes her head and smacks a hand to his ass, pushing him further in. “No, please don’t stop. Don’t stop _oh_ –!” 

Her head hits the mirror again and her grip on the edge is tight. His shoulders are tense and she knows he’s close but so is she, she can feel the static building in waves. He feels so _good_. He rocks his hips into her and she can feel him pulsing inside her and she lets out a long, noisy moan.

Groaning, he parts her lips with his finger and she swirls her tongue around the digit, sucking lightly. He removes the finger from her mouth and starts rubbing it against her clit. Her hands travel to his head, nails tangling in his thick hair and it's not as soft as she imagined but it’s still so wonderful. She rakes her nails over it, smoothing away the strands sticking to the sweat coating his face. His mouth hovers over hers, breath hot and heavy. The sounds of their pants and the slap of their hips resounds in the small room, and the way he’s looking at her and the feel of his cock thrusting in and out, his finger rubbing circles around her– 

He rocks into her in a jerky rhythm, shuddering over her and she rolls her hips, mouth opening in a silent scream and she shatters, dissolving into pleasure. She feels light, dizzy, and her vision dots as they continue to ride out the high. His pace slows and she whimpers as he presses sloppy kisses to her lips, cheeks, jaw.

When the haze lifts, she feels sticky and sweaty all over and although he slides out of her, he remains rooted to his spot, his hands splayed along her legs. Sasuke bumps his forehead against hers, his eyes trained behind her.

“I don’t know what Kakashi used but apparently it’s fast working. It didn’t budge once.”

She laughs and he meets her gaze before disentangling from her legs and arms. He tugs his pants back up, working to tie them on as she pulls her shorts up and straightens her shirt. She’s trying to smooth out her hair, swiping away at the strands clinging to her face and well. 

What the fuck now.

He rubs a hand on the back of his neck, opening his mouth before closing it, gaze cast to the ceiling.

Sakura chews on the inside of her cheek, looking everywhere but him.

“Um…” 

His eyes dart to her and she licks her lips.

“Do you… do you want to check… my mirror…?” 

She’s trying to bite back her smile but it blooms when he smirks at her and steps forward.

“I think that’s only fair.”

Laughing, she holds out her hand. He takes it, pulling her to him and gives her a dizzying kiss and they kiss and kiss and clothes are pulled off as they move from his apartment to hers. When her head hits her side of the mirror, he reaches behind her and grips the edge.

“Let’s see how well this side holds up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing has been extremely difficult lately. but i saw a tiktok video of a chick who has a whole dang apartment behind her mirror and this came out of that lol. #inspired i guess.
> 
> also let's not talk about the moral ambiguity of this >.>...
> 
> let me know what you think! i appreciate your words, emojis, and kudos!! thank you so much for reading! :)
> 
> ❤️️ = I love this story!  
> 🔥 = this was hot!  
> 💐 = thank you for sharing this  
> 🍬 = so sweet and fluffy!  
> 🚔 = you’re under arrest! the writing’s too good!  
> 😢 = you got me right in the feels  
> 🤯 = mind blown


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